The members of Connect: Professional Women's Network share simple tips to make meetings more interesting and productive. Learn more and visit the Connect group on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/womenconnect.

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Advice from the women of Connect: Professional Women’s Network
Meeting Makeovers:
How to Rally Your Team

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Send an agenda in advance. It sounds basic, but it is often
overlooked. An agenda helps set expectations, ensures that the
right people are in attendance with the right information, and helps
you manage time during the meeting.
Dawn McAvoy
Marketing and
Communications Executive

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Less is more. The more people you have in meetings, the higher the
likelihood that agenda items go off topic. I try to stick with inviting no
more than five people; three is better. If you absolutely need more
people, then divide the meeting into smaller chunks.Phoebe Bryant
Program Manager

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Make it a catered gourmet brown bag lunch. Hungry people are
agitated, they’re bad listeners and they count off the minutes until
the meeting is over. Offering food shows that you value their time.
Plus, food always creates a community feel.Elizabeth Best
Strategic Marketing Director

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When the discussion starts to stray, redirect the conversation by
saying, "That's a great idea. Let's move it to “new business” so we
can get back on track with the agenda." If the meeting is almost
over, you can add the topic to the next meeting's agenda.Pamela E. Heywood
Partner Program
Channel Specialist

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Make sure meeting notes are sent out in a timely fashion. If action
items are assigned, review them before you wrap up, making sure
each item has an owner and due date. Follow up on action items
and hold people accountable.
Janet Sala
Senior Director,
Engineering

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Our team is reading Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni. He
explains that you need to bring in drama and conflict. People are
often fearful of bringing issues to the forefront, so encourage them
to do so. He compares meetings to movies: without conflict/drama
and an exciting beginning, you won't be drawn in.
Dawn Harger
Customer Success
Team Manager

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FLICKR PHOTO CREDITS:
Slide 1: Derek Tam
Slide 3: James Cridland
Slide 4: Renee S. Suen
Slide 5: Scott Kinmartin
Slide 6: Phil Roeder
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Connect: Professional Women’s Network, Powered by Citi, is an
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careers they want and discuss the issues relevant to their success.
For more great insights from Connect members, check out the
discussion: Do you have any tips to make meetings better?
Visit linkedin.com/womenconnect for
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