And great additional comments, Elena and Charlene.

Thanks, all!

In every meeting I have attended where the participants have gone woefully astray or ventured way off topic, the root of the problem was lack of leadership. Leadership in a business meeting comes in the form of a Chair Person. Every meeting must have the following: Chair Person, Meeting Coordinator, Minute Recorder, appropriate participants, clear parameters (time, date and length), and a comprehensible agenda. Generally, unless otherwise arranged, the person who calls for or requests the meeting is the Chair Person. This individual would then designate someone, usually an Administrative Assistant to coordinate the meeting. Once the meeting details have been confirmed, the Chair Person would then develop the agenda and have the Meeting Coordinator distribute it to the meeting delegates. When the meeting actually takes place, it is the role of the Chair Person to call the meeting to order and conduct introductions, ensuring at this time who the Minute Recorder will be. The Chair Person should then poll the group for any additions or changes to the agenda, this calls the group into action to not only be aware of the agenda and topics at hand, but it also compels the group to be cognizant of what the purpose of the meeting is. In the event meeting participants stray from the agenda, conduct side conversations or table off-topic discussions, it is the role of the Chair person to address these issues by using the suggestions provided above by Vital Smarts. The above steps and components are fundamental to conducting a successful meeting. Whenever a group is involved, team work swings into action. In a nutshell, and as in all happenings in business and life, leadership is key in ensuring a group (team) works towards a common goal/desired result and meets with success; whether it be in a business meeting, the general office setting, on the football field or at the ball diamond.

Just one thing, though: If you want someone to take notes in the meeting, don’t just look at one of the females and assume she knows how to take proper meeting notes. Be prepared to do it yourself if no one else volunteers. Every meeting should have someone assigned to take notes, and it should be decided in advance so you don’t have to draft some one during the meeting. The note taker generally needs to stop being active during the discussions, so having a secretary or an admin attend with the express purpose of taking notes is the best way to go.