Because you have already determined what this meeting is to accomplish, this step in Meeting Mastery is considerably easier. The next step is preparation.

Just like you would not dream of going up to preach unprepared, (Well…occasionally I dream of preaching unprepared. It is that recurring dream when you are moving in slow motion and no matter how hard you try you can not speed up.) so to should you not dream of meeting with your people if you are not ready.

So take a few minutes to do these things.

Prepare an agenda. Know what you are going to discuss, how long you will discuss it, and who is going to lead the discussion. If there are decisions to be made, clearly lay out what those decisions are. List those things and give that agenda to every person who is going to attend the meeting.

Send that agenda out with your reminder. Sending out the agenda will help the participants of the meeting be more prepared. I stated this already, but cut and paste the agenda into the body of your e-mail. This will dramatically increase the chance it is read.

Gather any materials you may need. If you are going to be discussing the budget, have the data you think you might need. If you are going to be scheduling an event, have the church’s master calendar with you. You might want to have extra copies of the agenda on hand (good chance it will not be printed out) and pens ready for people who forgot.

Have the right room booked. Nothing can submarine what would be an otherwise good meeting than having a bad room. Things that might make a room bad include a lack of privacy, not having the work space required, a room full of distractions, a room that is uncomfortable due to seating arrangements or temperature, to name a few. Sometimes, especially if creativity is required for the meeting, planning to go off site can help. There is something about being away that helps people see beyond what is currently happening to possibilities.

Prepare yourself mentally for the meeting. If you think the meeting is going to be tough, do what you have to do in order to be in the right mindset. If it requires creativity, do what you need to in order to be more creative. If you need to be inspirational, do what you need to in order to be ready to inspire.

This is the easiest step, but also one that leaders can be lax on. Don’t do that…be ready.