Too often, meetings end and everyone simply goes back to business as usual without putting anything that was discussed in the meeting into action, or without even knowing what they should do. There is no simpler way to record what went on than by writing on a flip chart the who, what, and by when of the directives discussed in the meeting.

Do a round robin with everyone recapping what they are accountable for delivering. Always distribute a brief meeting summary within 24 hours of the meeting. The meeting summary will reinforce to everyone that results are expected.

For many organizations, meetings have simply become something that employees feel like they have to get through. They think that all they need to do is sit through the meeting, and then they can get back to the task at hand. A great way to ensure that this isn’t the mindset of those in your organization’s meetings is to conduct meeting evaluations.

A great strategy is to do a process check at least once during a meeting. Have everyone assess the four Ps:

· Progress. Are we achieving our goals?

· Pace. Are we moving too fast or too slowly?

· Process. Are we using the right tools/methods?

· Pulse. How is everyone feeling-frustrated, satisfied, energized?

The process check will allow you an opportunity to get everything back on track if the meeting isn’t going as planned. Don’t look at meeting evaluations as a throwaway step. They are key to ensuring that your meetings are consistently well-organized and productive and that your team members are happy!