We have all been there: stuck in boring, pointless meetings that seem to last forever and get nothing done. Now, however, it’s up to you to run the meeting and you desperately want to avoid it turning into one of those. You’re ready to go to almost any length to keep it interesting – should you incorporate music? Or visual aids? Or clowns and jugglers?

Running an effective meeting can be extremely intimidating but there are several key considerations that will help you get the most out of it while keeping your colleagues not only awake but involved and invested in the meeting.

The first question you should ask when planning a meeting is: what are the goals of this meeting? Ideally, there should be a general goal for the organization that everyone can contribute toward, as well as specific goals for the individuals. By identifying beforehand what the goal of the meeting is, you can shape and direct the meeting to maximize its effectiveness. Avoid trying to cram too many goals into one meeting; this can easily turn into a confusing, directionless meeting where everyone leaves not knowing what they got out of it. Conversely, make sure that there is a definite goal.

Once you know the goals of the meeting, be sure to communicate them to everyone involved and give them the chance to prepare. Let everyone know what the meeting is going to cover and what level of contribution is expected from the attendees.

Read more: http://realscreen.com/2011/05/25/best-practices-how-to-run-an-effective-meeting/#ixzz1W6V40xDj

Professor Chris PalmerAuthor of Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom  (Sierra Club Books, 2010)Distinguished Film Producer in ResidenceDirector, Center for Environmental FilmmakingSchool of Communication, American Universitycell 202-716-6160; office 202-885-3408Center website: www.environmentalfilm.org SOC profile: http://www.american.edu/soc/faculty/palmer.cfm Shooting in the Wild on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/gOTUlc Shooting in the Wild website: http://bit.ly/a4L3LU Chris’s Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/#!/chrispalmer47 Follow me on Twitter @chrispalmer_au Chris’s blog: http://soc-palmer.blogs.american.edu/  President, One World One Ocean FoundationPresident, MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Foundationcpalmer@mffeducation.orgwww.mffeducation.org Chief Executive Officer, VideoTakes, Inc.chris@videotakes.comwww.videotakes.com