Things to Bear in Mind When Planning a Meeting
1. Who Will Be Coming to the Meeting?
Consider who you want at the meeting, as this can have an impact not only on the content and structure of the meeting, but also on how long the meeting will last. Do you want to invite colleagues, a local Councillor or a guest speaker? If inviting a guest speaker, how long do you want him to speak for?
2. Size of Meeting (this will affect where the meeting is held)
If the meeting is to impart information or be used as a consultation exercise, you will need to aim for maximum attendance. If the aim of the meeting is to look at policies or procedures, a smaller group may be more appropriate.
3. Time of the Meeting
As far as possible, try to time your meeting to fit in with attendees other commitments and arrange the meeting to be long enough to discuss the issues, but short enough to discourage time wasting. Try not to schedule your meeting to clash with major sporting events.
4 . Venue
With equal opportunities in mind make sure that the meeting place is accessible for those with mobility problems:
- Is there a hearing loop for people with hearing difficulties?
- Are there toilet facilities with wheelchair access?
- Is the venue heated and easily reached by public transport?
- Do you need to organise a crèche to enable those with children to attend the meeting?
5. Seating
- Are there enough seats for the numbers of people expected?
- Are the seats comfortable and set out in such a way so that all participants can see what is going on? In this downloadable PDF document there are some examples of room layout to use at your meeting
6. Other Facilities
- Will you provide writing materials and handouts?
- Will refreshments be provided?
- Will name badges be given out?
- Will a flip chart and/or overhead projector be needed?
7. Publicity
- You need to inform people that the meeting is taking place, what it is about, when and where it is being held and how long it is likely to take.
- A week to a fortnights notice is generally ideal, as too much notice means that people will forget, too little notice makes it difficult for people to fit into their diaries.
- There are many ways to publicise your meeting, but whichever method you use, it is a good idea where possible, to send out reminder slips a day or so before the meeting.
- Personal invites to meetings can often get good results.
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