The Anatomy of an Annual Meeting
The nine people employed by my company, 4 Walls, work from home, so having scheduled meetings to get together and discuss company business is more important than it may be at other companies. Although companies with employees who commute to a central office can take advantage of face to face meetings to handle real time issues, annual meetings are a best practice for any company. Annual meetings allow employees and managers to put the year in perspective and share their accomplishments and difficulties with the rest of the company.
Drive a tight agenda, don't let it drive you
An effective agenda goes beyond start time, location, topics, and durations. Effective agendas support the meeting purpose, set the expectations of attendees as to what will be discussed, inform attendees of any preparation that will be required prior to the meeting give the meeting leader a roadmap for driving the agenda, permit adequate time to cover each item and allow the meeting leader to adjust the agenda easily if the meeting gets behind schedule.
