Convert decisions into actions. To avoid having people leave the same meeting with different views of what is supposed to happen next, assign tasks that lead to specific actions. Get serious about using agendas. Without an agenda, it's hard to keep meetings on track and even more difficult for participants to understand what their role is. Intel is religious about its use of agendas.
Employees even have access to an agenda template for ease of use and consistency.
At Intel, agendas are circulated several days before the specified meeting to let participants react to or modify it. The agendas also include information about the meeting's key topics, who will lead various parts of the discussion, how long each topic of discussion will take, and what outcomes are expected. Michelle Neely Martinez is an Alexandria, Va.-based writer specializing in workplace and management issues.