The only thing more painful than sitting through an ineffective, even unnecessary meeting, is running one. Bad meetings are bad for morale, bad for productivity, and bad for your image. (And remember, you’re already working against the popular employee view of meetings as a time suck.) So what can you do to ensure your next meeting is a shining success?

Before you click “send” on your next meeting invitation, prepare yourself with answers to these five questions:

1. Do you need the meeting? We all know how it feels to be stuck in a meeting that could have been handled by email or conference call. Keep that feeling in mind when deciding whether to hold a meeting, because the fastest way to irk your employees is to unnecessarily tie up their time. As a litmus test, make sure your talking points affect the whole department or require all the attendees’ input at once.
2. Is your objective clear? Set a game plan before sending your meeting invitation. Then you can email your agenda and give people time to prepare. A clear objective will also help you steer the meeting toward quantifiable results (which is why those general “status update” meetings aren’t always so useful).
3. Who do you need to invite? Emphasis is on the need, and harkens back to Point #1 about tying up employee time. So if you’re solving a problem, invite the people who will offer the most useful information. If you’re announcing a change, include the people who will be affected. And think whether you need to invite people for FYI purposes only, when you could easily send them a post-meeting summary.
4. Are you ready to start and end on time? If we see one theme in these points, meetings are about efficient time management, and that includes starting and ending on time. Starting a meeting late can irritate those who put aside their work to arrive on time. (They could have used those ten minutes, too!) Late starts will also cost you credibility and ensure no one arrives on time moving forward. Running over costs you, too—in productivity when key players leave early to attend other obligations, and in respect when employees see you can’t adequately plan or control your agenda. So arrive early to ensure you’re prepared to start on time, and keep a close watch on the clock as you go.
5. Are you prepared to follow up? Keep everyone on the same page! Designate a note-taker to record the decisions made and actions to be taken as a result of the meeting. Be sure to include any task assignments and deadlines. Within 24 hours of the meeting, send this as a memo to the meeting attendees and any FYI non-attendees.

Thoughtful preparation is the key to running an effective meeting that values everyone’s time. So before you set out to host your next great meeting, make sure you’re attaching a well-considered agenda and inviting only the necessary players. When you have a clear vision and stick to it, your employees will thank you for the time well spent!