Meetings, meetings and meetings. Many organizations seem to have unlimited numbers of meetings all day, to such an effect that meetings have more often than not become the butt of office ridicule. Many jokes about the total waste of time that meetings do the rounds. Sample a few of them:
We will continue having lots of meetings until we find out why no work is getting done.
Lonely? Don’t like your work? Then call for a meeting. You can see people drawing pictures and flowcharts, getting patted on the back for doing nothing, form subcommittees to find out why something is not working, and have loads of coffee, all at office expense.
Meetings: The practical alternative to work.
Meetings are crucial and very effective, but only if done rightly
All these office jokes notwithstanding; there is no denying the role and effectiveness of properly and effectively conducted meetings. Meetings, so long as they are done right, are critical to improving the organization’s bottom line. They are a perfect venue for sharing thoughts and taking important decisions. All these can happen only when meetings are organized right. They can throw up wonderful and meaningful outcomes. Otherwise, they become an utter waste of time and go on to achieve nothing.
In view of all these facts, there is a dire need for organizations to devise ways for conducting effective meetings. No organization can do away with this very important exercise; but holding the right meeting and doing the right things at these meetings is where the beauty of effective meetings lies.
If meetings don’t achieve anything, don’t organize them
What happens when unproductive meetings are held? They take up valuable productive time. They eat into important resources, which could be otherwise be used for doing other important work during this time. If meetings are not designed for the right people and for the right purpose, and are not held at the opportune moment; they end up being exercises in futility.
How do organizations learn the ways of conducting meetings effectively? How do they inculcate the art of organizing meetings that are effective and serve their purpose and take the organization higher? All this will be the learning an important webinar from TrainHR, a highly popular provider of professional trainings for the human resources industry, will impart.
Author of the Amazon bestseller, The CEO Code, and Idiot's Guides: Management Skills, published by Alpha Books/Penguin in November 2014, David Rohlander, will be the speaker at this webinar. He will offer total understanding of how to conduct effective meetings. Please register for this webinar by logging on to TrainHR.  
All the elements that make meetings effective
Any team or personnel organizing a meeting has to first understand the purpose of the meeting. They have to first decide if the meeting is absolutely essential. Those involved in this exercise have to be convinced about the critical need for the meeting and build a compelling case for holding the meeting.
Next, the hosts or organizers of the meetings have to decide who all are necessary for the meeting, because including even one unneeded person for a meeting makes it ineffective. Next, they should spell out the agenda and subject matter for the meetings, to ensure that the right topic is brought up for the meeting and no diversion or digression takes place to dilute the importance of the core topic.
Other elements of effective meetings
It is only natural in a meeting that all the participants are not expected to have the same level of understanding or an even temperament. Addressing all these is another characteristic of effective meetings. Another core element of effective meetings is follow-ups, because in most meetings, what is discussed is left behind at the room. A summary of what outcome was achieved by which participant, what was achieved on account of all these, and if it was done within the deadline, is a very important goal that effective meetings have to achieve.
David will discuss all these important points of effective meetings at this webinar. in this session, which will be of high value to people in top positions, such as CEO, President, C-Suite Executives, Managers and Supervisors, David will cover the following areas:

• How to plan for a meeting and build an agenda
• Tricks for staying on the agenda and honoring the time commitments
• Successful interaction with participants
• Ensuring clarity, understanding and acceptance
• Follow up
• Feedback and how to "Inspect what you expect"