One step to better meetings

This week, my Effective Meetings class was in full swing. We usually kick off by sharing what we hate most about meetings. No matter where I go, no matter which client I see, I always hear the same top three complaints:

• Meetings are too long.
• There are too many meetings.
• Our meetings go off topic, and nothing gets done.

So the next time you plan a meeting, what can you do to ensure that the meeting starts and ends on time, no one talks out of turn, and work gets accomplished?
One small tip to move you in the right direction: Use an agenda. And stick to it. End on time, follow up with action items, and circle back in a week to see if those action items were done.