Meetings require a wide range of leadership skills. Strong meetings start with thoughtful planning, yet many leaders overlook this step. Once the meeting begins, you need to open well, guide conversations, and close in a way that leads to meaningful follow‑up. This series covers the essential skills every leader should master before calling or leading a meeting.
Decide If You Should Call a Meeting
Meetings are expensive. They should only be held when the expected benefits require a meeting and those benefits outweigh the cost of bringing people together.
This session helps you make better decisions about when a meeting is truly necessary and shows you how to create a purpose statement that inspires participants and focuses their efforts.
Create a Meeting Plan
An agenda lists topics. A meeting plan drives results. Effective meetings require clarity about what needs to be accomplished and the best way to accomplish it within the time available.
This session helps you design a plan that is action‑oriented, realistic, and aligned with your meeting’s purpose.
Get the Right People to Your Meeting
The people in the room directly influence the quality of your outcomes. Invite no more and no fewer than you need. Sometimes the challenge is convincing the right people to attend. Other times it is keeping known disruptors away.
This session helps you become more intentional about who you invite and why.
Start Your Meeting Strong
First impressions matter, especially when people assume meetings will be boring or unproductive. You begin at a disadvantage, and the first few minutes determine whether participants stay engaged.
This session shows you how to open your meeting in a way that captures attention and sets the tone for productive work.
Balance Meeting Participation
If only a few people do most of the talking, your meeting is not working. Some participants dominate. Others stay quiet even when they have valuable insights.
This session helps you encourage balanced participation, so everyone contributes and the group benefits from a wider range of perspectives.
Properly Close a Meeting
If your meetings do not lead to meaningful action, you reinforce the belief that meetings are a waste of time. The close is where discussion turns into commitment.
This session shows you what needs to happen in the final minutes so participants leave feeling confident about what was accomplished and clear about what happens next.