Becoming more cost-conscious about meetings will help you to be economical with time. Check if any given meeting is really necessary and ensure that people don’t waste their time attending meetings if their presence is not required. Time spent on planning the meeting will repay itself tenfold. Work out the agenda carefully, allotting time for each item.

Careful preparation is the secret of productive meetings. First and foremost, it is essential that the chairperson be clear about the objective or objectives of the proposed meeting. A useful way of double checking is to ask yourself: ‘Where should we all be at the end of this meeting?’

The agenda is the key factor in preparation. It shouldn’t be just a list of headings to jog your memory during a meeting. Draw it up with thought, indicating whether an item is for discussion or decision.

Briefly describe the matter or subject. ‘Mounting costs’, for example, is too brief and vague. ‘Mounting costs: to discuss the report on energy conservation in the factory and make decisions on the first and third recommendations on p. 16’ is much more definite. It gives people the opportunity to think about the matter beforehand.

Ensure that everyone receives the agenda and relevant papers – in this case the ‘Energy Conservation Report’ – at least five clear days before the meeting.