Some meetings serve simply to disseminate information. One person gives a presentation, usually in PowerPoint, and others listen and absorb some of the content. In its method this meeting is really an extension of a school class or university lecture. We will not dwell on this type of meeting here.

Other meetings serve as discussions which are intended to lead to a decision. These are often badly run and fail because they lack one or more of the following five key prerequisites, which are necessary (but not sufficient) for success:

1. Purpose. The purpose of the meeting should be crystal clear to all the participants. The person who called the meeting must articulate the reason for the meeting and the agenda. If this is not clear and people arrive with differing expectations and agendas, then the meeting will likely flounder.

 …