Sticking to the agenda
Get your meeting started on time, end it on time, and stick to the agenda, and you will be surprised at how much more effective it will be. Sure, sticking to the agenda can be tricky sometimes, but the following are some tips on how to make sure the agenda is not forgotten:
Create and distribute the agenda a few days before the meeting and ask for everyone's input.
Follow up with key participants to make sure they agree with the agenda and don't have any items to add.
Assign a specific duration for each item in the agenda. This is a good way to make sure people think about those items and whether there will be enough time, especially if each item is owned by a different person.
Get everyone to agree at the beginning of the meeting that the agenda will be followed.
Stop any off-topic discussion by assigning a "parking lot" where those ideas will be recorded for later discussion.
Keep track of time and do a time-check every once in a while (for example, "I'm sorry to interrupt...
