As someone who often leads various meetings, I find it challenging. Knowing how to do it and actually doing it are two different things.

Even when you think you're doing well at first, small discrepancies can gradually widen, eventually leading to ineffective meetings.

Here are some things that I personally think are essential for successful meetings.

Sharing Preliminary Information

If all participants aren't on the same page with the basic knowledge, fundamental misunderstandings can occur. If there are new participants, start by sharing this information.

If there is an abundance of preliminary information, compile it in a document and share it.

Preparing an Agenda

Having an agenda prepared in advance helps participants attend with a purpose. Ensure that everyone can add to the agenda, and share the minutes page a day or two before the meeting.

For regular meetings, preparing the page for the next week right after the current meeting might be a good idea.

Clarifying the Purpose

For one-off meetings, always set a goal. For regular meetings, having a clear purpose makes long-term management easier. Without clarity, it's easy to forget what the meeting is supposed to achieve.

Deciding on Next Actions

If tasks arise during the meeting, add them to the 'Next Actions' section and assign someone to them immediately. This prevents tasks from being forgotten.

Reflecting on the Process

Regular opportunities to reflect on the meeting process, as well as the organization or project's approach, are beneficial. Any method like KPT (Keep, Problem, Try) is fine.

Improving the process enhances the quality of the content.

Setting Appropriate Time

Meetings should be as short as possible, but if they are too short to make decisions, that should be reconsidered. Adjust the time ad-hoc based on the quantity and quality of the agenda.

Having time reserved without content is a waste, but if there are topics to discuss, set the time accordingly.

On the other hand, if something can be done asynchronously, consider that too.

Conclusion

• Sharing preliminary information
• Preparing an agenda
• Clarifying the purpose
• Deciding on next actions
• Reflecting on the process
• Setting appropriate time

These might seem like obvious points, but it's challenging to consistently execute them well.

This is a reminder to myself as well.