How to prepare for a meeting

Ways to ensure your next meeting goes successfully

Looking for ways to help your meetings go smoothly? We have some simple tips to share, along with useful product suggestions to help you ensure your next meeting is a complete success!

Preparation is key

Going into a meeting without objectives, goals is pointless. Make sure you are you are well prepared to obtain the desired outcome and ensure the overall success of your meeting.

- Define the agenda / goals

A meeting without purpose could cause frustration and inhibit productivity. The last thing anyone wants is to sit in a meeting that drags on, thinking instead about all the other tasks they could be getting on with. Have a clear agenda which will define the structure of the meeting and the key focus. Share your agenda with your attendees a couple of days before the meeting so they know the key discussion points. Make it clear how long the meeting will take and the discussion points.

- Collect ideas from the team

If brainstorming and planning is the objective of your meeting then use colourful sticky notes, whiteboards, flipcharts and markers to make notes with your team. This process will help define goals to work towards ideas to consider.

- Create engaging material

If you are presenting, use tools such as Powerpoint to create visual slides and bullet points for your attendees to view whilst you are speaking. Use graphs or pie charts to display figures. This helps everyone to remember key points and maintain engagement.

- Make action points clear

Make it clear what the action points are, and which tasks have been set, plus arrange a provisional date for the next meeting to review progress.

Practical Arrangements

Prepare your meeting space

Consider the layout of your meeting tables. If it is a small meeting, a round table may work best. For a larger meeting you may choose a rectangular or a horseshoe shape to allow everyone the space to see one another. Comfortable meeting room chairs will also be appreciated by attendees, helping everyone to focus on the meeting rather than sitting in discomfort.

Offer refreshments

If the meeting is longer than an hour, suggest a short break to allow everyone to stretch their legs, have a drink or nip to the bathroom before resuming. Our concentration tends to wane after 45 minutes, so a break will revive your attendees ready to resume the meeting. Refreshments such as tea, coffee and soft drinks are always appreciated. Ensure everyone has access to drinking water on the meeting table too.

Check your tech

A quick inspection to make sure your IT is working correctly will help maximise the success of your meeting and avoid unnecessary stress. If using Powerpoint, take care to ensure that the projector is working properly, check laptops and speakers are connected and that laser pointers are working.

For hybrid meetings

For participants who are joining you virtually from an external location, ensure you have good audio and microphones so everyone can hear and be heard. A high quality speakerphone is an essential, allowing you the freedom to talk and hear all attendees without the frustration of crackling or interference. Minimise disruption from video calls by making sure you have reliable software and connection to the internet.

We hope your next meeting is a complete success! If you would like help with your meeting room supplies the contact our team to discuss your requirements.