If people are of one heart, even the yellow earth can become gold.

Chinese proverb

Meetings proliferate but they have acquired a bad name for ineffectiveness, time wasting and sheer lack of fun. As the witches said in Shakespeare’s Macbeth:

When shall we three meet again

In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

Managers will certainly meet in better conditions than those witches on their blasted heath, but they definitely know that they will be meeting again – and again!

Meeting is a very general word that encompasses any situation in which two or more people come together by accident or design, in an encounter that may be momentary or prolonged. Almost all of them involve some form of communication. But the meetings that concern us here are those that involve a group of people who meet for discussion with a purpose. How do you lead or manage that discussion effectively?

Meetings are essential and, as we all know, they can be enjoyable as well as productive. It all depends on the quality of the discussion. Without good discussion there will be no clarity; without clarity there will be no sound agreement; and without a basis of agreement there will certainly be no effective action.

That is why it is important for you to master the art of leading effective meetings.