Tools and Tips for Today's Project Manager

MEETINGS

Have you ever attended a meeting where sharp disagreements were the norm rather than the exception? Where everyone concentrated on one topic at the expense of others? Where a few people dominated while the rest remained silent? Where decisions were the result of conformity (often called the move-toward-control tendency) rather than intelligent discussion? Where decisions were rushed, leaving little time for discussion? Where everyone strayed from the main issue?

The answer to one or more of the above questions is probably yes. Why? Because meetings are often poorly planned, organized, controlled, and led. Meetings, of course, do not have to be that way.

Running an effective meeting requires advance preparation. It also requires that ...