Meetings are productive and invigorating – as long as you prepare correctly. Taking great care and effort to think carefully about your agenda items, meeting goals, and who needs to be at the table (or on the Zoom) has great payoff in the long run. Show
Whether you’re new to hosting meetings or have some experience under your belt, here’s everything you need to know about how to host a meeting, whether in person or virtually.
How to prepare for a meeting as the hostPutting together a meeting requires meaningful prep to be a successful use of time for everyone. From planning a location to deciding who to invite, you can come up against some solid obstacles. Here’s how to overcome them and host a great meeting.
1 Define the objectiveBefore hosting a meeting, you should decide what type of meeting you’re having and what you’re trying to accomplish. A few questions to ask yourself are:
Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll have a better idea of how to direct your meeting. At the same time, if your answers to these questions make it seem not worth having, well, it probably isn’t. Keep it to email instead, or if you can solve any relevant problems yourself, then get to work. Prep for itHave delightful meetings by preparing a collaborative agenda that includes talking points and action items. Try a tool like Fellow! 2 Decide who needs to attendWhen you’re deciding who should attend a meeting, make a list. This way, you can see everyone you believe should be there and run your list past a co-worker to ensure you didn’t miss anyone. Your list can also help you decide who doesn’t need to attend the meeting. It’s important to ask yourself: Will this meeting benefit this person? Does it pertain to their work? If the answer is no, then let them skip this one so they can work on other tasks. 3 Decide on the meeting formatDifferent types of meetings will have different formats. Your meeting’s length and number of meeting participants should also shape your choice of format. Here are the main three meeting formats:
4 Think about detailsMeeting planning is full of little details. Yes, you need to know how many people will attend and what you’ll discuss, but that’s top-level stuff. There’s also the background of it all: location, time and date, AV equipment you may need, meeting room size so everyone can sit comfortably (and distanced). For example, let’s say you’re gathering 20 team members and you choose a room with 12 seats. Do people really want to stand during lengthy meetings? (Of course, this factor matters less with, as their name suggests, standup meetings.) 5 Write a meeting agendaWhen hosting a meeting, you want to stick to your meeting agenda. That’s because, as great as meetings are, they can rub folks the wrong way if you veer off-track and go over the allotted time. So beforehand, write down what you want to accomplish (or head over to the Fellow app!), list the main talking points, and combine it all into a timeline. Stick to that timeline, and you’re less likely to go off-topic or run over the time you’ve set– even by just five or 10 minutes. Your agenda should contain a list of everyone who’s attending. It should also outline any special roles that certain attendees might play in the meeting. Importantly, don’t overlook a notetaker: Simultaneously hosting a meeting and taking notes can be a distraction, so someone else should handle notes while you’re running the show. And you’re here because you’re the one leading things, so find someone else to take notes! 6 Send out your meeting invites and agendaYou should send out meeting invites at your earliest convenience. A week of advanced notice – two weeks if you can swing it – is ideal. In your invites, you should include your meeting agenda so everyone can read it over and prepare questions. You should also detail the meeting’s location, its start and end times, and all your main talking points, with time dedicated to each one. This structure tells participants everything they should know well ahead of time. 6 tips on how to host a meetingBeing the host with the most can be fun and easy when you take the right steps just before and after the meeting (and, of course, during it). Follow these six tips on how to host a meeting easily and effectively, and you’ll have a great time.
1 Arrive and set up the presentation earlyWhen you host a meeting, you should be the first person there. Your early presence will give you time to set up everything you need for the meeting and go over topics before your team arrives. It’s also a chance to address potential issues, especially if you’re hosting a virtual meeting where technical hiccups could arise. Arriving early and addressing this all can help you work out all the small kinks to ensure everything will run smoothly. 2 Ensure the camera and microphone work if virtualIf you choose to go virtual for your meeting, make sure that you and everyone else joining the meeting is tech-savvy enough. No one needs to be Bill Gates, but it’s essential that everyone knows how to set up their camera and microphone. You can let your team know you’ll show up early to your virtual meeting so they can do the same if they need tech help. 3 Break the iceBreaking the ice is a great way to engage everyone in the room (or across your screen), especially if there are newcomers to the group. Here are a few fast ways to break the ice:
If everyone in your group already knows each other, you can go for a more abbreviated icebreaker. Simply tell a recent personal story – maybe something you did over the weekend. Ask folks to do the same, and it’ll set the tone for enjoyable time together. 4 Stick to the agenda and timeframeWhen sending out meeting invitations, make sure you mention the meeting’s start time and how important it is to arrive on time. Then, once you start the meeting, stick to the agenda topics and times. If you start falling behind, move on to the next subject and make a note to carry any questions into the next meeting. 5 Make time for questionsA good meeting involves everyone asking and answering questions. That’s how you encourage greater attendee engagement and ensure that everyone leaves the meeting on the same page. But set aside five to 10 minutes at the end for any questions instead of letting them roll out during the meeting. This way, you don’t deviate from your agenda. 6 Send out meeting notes and follow up as neededMeeting attendees are typically busy people. They might have to run off to something else the moment your meeting ends. But that doesn’t mean they should forget everything from your meeting. To keep everything moving forward, send out meeting notes right after the meeting for everyone to reference thereafter. You should also schedule follow-up meetings as necessary so everyone knows their next steps before any other commitments could get in the way. Responsibilities as meeting hostNow that you know how to prepare and host your own meeting, you should remind yourself of your responsibilities as a host. Here are some general guidelines you should follow before, during, and after your next meeting.
Now go host your meeting!Now that you know all the above tips on how to host meetings, you’re one step closer to sending out invites and running the room with confidence. To really take control of your meeting, use Fellow’s collaborative tools for creating meeting agendas, taking meeting notes, assigning meeting action items, and seeking peer feedback. Whether you’re hosting virtually or face-to-face, Fellow is with you every step of the way. How do you start a meeting host?Click the Meetings tab. Click on the meeting you want to start. Additional options will appear. Click Start.
How do I start a meeting with a host key?Android | iOS. Join a meeting.. Tap More in the meeting controls.. Tap Enter Host Key to Claim Host.. Enter your host key.. Tap Claim. Once the host key is verified, you will have host controls in the meeting.. How do I start a host Zoom meeting?Here are some basic instructions for scheduling your first meeting.. Sign in to your Zoom web portal.. Click Meetings.. Click Schedule a Meeting.. Choose the date and time for your meeting.. (Optional) Select any other settings you would like to use.. Click Save.. Does the host have to start the meeting?As long as the host disabled waiting room and allowed participants to join anytime, then you can start the meeting without the host by joining the meeting through your preferred method.
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