The Best Way to Keep Track of Meetings

How should you keep track of meetings?

Have you ever wanted to run away from a meeting? I worked for one of the top five companies in the US and they seemed to hold meetings to plan meetings. It absolutely drove me around the bend! I would try and multi-task like all the other participants and secretly hoped they would not call on me for any information. In the long run, I did not get any value out of these meetings and my work was being ignored. I had to keep track of the meetings and place action items in my calendar so I would remember what the heck it was they wanted. In simple terms, my attitude absolutely stunk!

When it was my turn to run the meeting, I decided to make changes. I planned what we should discuss and not just get updates from everyone. The meeting changed from keeping us up-to-date to one with meaning and relevant issues. Once this happened, there was more of a necessity to record the minutes and track the meeting progress. Meetings are a crucial part of running a company and winning clients. Client meetings should run smoothly and not be time wasters. You need to get to the point and move on.

Keeping track of meetings and agendas only required the use of tables in a word processing program, or the use of an excel spreadsheet. This allowed the use of check marks to identify those action items that were completed. A list of outstanding issues yet to be resolved was easy to spot and did not require retyping everything. Tracking action items for customers should be done in the same simple manner. Customers expect to have their items taken care of ASAP. If you do not take the time to record the information, it is not likely you will remember what it is they wanted.

The aim of this process is to service the customer and to keep you on track. Milestones, action items, and other events will likely keep you busy. Do not fall down on the job and forget what it is you were supposed to do.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com

---

Its a Training Issue!

There's a common phrase used by Organizational Development and Human... Read More

How to Use an HR Consultant

Bringing an HR consultant into your organisation can often be... Read More

Learn to Assert Yourself

Pinpoint your own blocks to assertiveness: fear of disapproval, need... Read More

Project Management, A Forgotten Perspective

Effective project managers know how to get the job done,... Read More

The Rise of Corporate Chair Massages

Employers have rapidly begun to understand the importance of stress... Read More

25 Super-Practical Steps to Build Your Business!

For the past several weeks, we have focused on some... Read More

Multiple Channels, Multiple Times

I've just been reading about the frustrations of a Human... Read More

How to Make a Difference Every Day

Every day, everyone can make the world a better place.... Read More

Radical Creativity from Incremental Creativity ? large movements from small changes

Positive radical movement is the holy grail of nearly every... Read More

Innovation Management ? Innovation or Profit?

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Enable Continuous Improvement of IT Services through ITIL

One of the major benefits, if not THE benefit of... Read More

More Computer Consulting 101 Hiring Tips (Part 2 of 2)

Does your company need to retain the services of a... Read More

Growing Profits is Easy!

Everyone involved in running a business from the smallest start-up... Read More

Identifying Candidates for Leadership

A critical task in the succession planning process of any... Read More

Making Assumptions - A Critical Communication Mistake In Business And In Your Personal Life!

We draw conclusions about people through observation, their behavior, past... Read More

How to do SWOT Analysis for your Business

SWOT analysis is needed for all business to understand how... Read More

The Best Way to Keep Track of Meetings

How should you keep track of meetings?Have you ever wanted... Read More

Training Adults, Not Teaching Children

Adults are vulnerable to personal and professional embarrassment from poor... Read More

Magnificent Meetings - 5 Tips for Success

Your impact at meetings will determine in a big way... Read More

ISO 9001 the Process Approach to Quality Assurance

What is the Process Approach to Quality?The ISO 9001 2000... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management in Conservative, Staid Organisations

Conservative and staid organisations generally have a harder time implementing... Read More

Planning For Growth

Are you planning your business or are you... Read More

Employees - Treat Them the Way They Expect to be Treated

When you have to deal with one of your team... Read More

What Consultants Want You to Know (But You Never Ask)

I've been both a CEO and a consultant, so I've... Read More

Five Strategies for Profitable Services Growth

In today's era of Professional and IT Services competition and... Read More

Solving the Problem Solving Problem

The meeting started like a hundred others before. There were... Read More

Effective Multi Cultural International Business Meetings

Of the many areas in international business where cultural differences... Read More

Another Use for Meetings

Every meeting is a laboratory where you can observe and... Read More

One Bad Apple

One Bad Apple I know what... Read More

Problem-Solving Success Tip: Define the Problem First

Define the Problem First. It seems obvious, but how many... Read More

Empowering Others - Giving Them Some Control

It's been a pretty good weekend around the place -... Read More

How to Meet Quality Standards with ISO 9001

In today's hectic business environment, it is vital that we... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: A New Managers Tale

This article relates to the Manager/Supervisor competency, commonly evaluated in... Read More