The late Harvard economist John Kenneth Gailbraith observed that 'Meetings are indispensable when you don't want to do anything'.

In our previous video we considered the elements that get in the way of a successful meeting. Now, let's take a moment to consider the things that work.

This film explores the idea of 'being there' and considers the question: Is this meeting actually necessary?

In this video we carry out a development exercise around creating an effective agenda by comparing two different versions.

The next series of videos focus on how to prepare for meetings.

Sometimes we've been forced to attend a conference call, video conference or face to face meeting but the topic had nothing to do with us, our team, or our area of expertise.

One of the best ways to imbue your meetings with a sense of purpose is to define your outcome and, most critically, communicate that outcome to meeting participants.

A meeting with no clear agenda, no clear purpose or no organisation, is probably not a meeting you would like to attend!

American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, 'Your actions speak so loud, I cannot hear what you are saying.' Never has a truer word been said about the power of non-verbal communication, or body language, as it's better known.

At its root, running an effective meeting is about clearly communicating goals and ideas to clients, colleagues and stakeholders.

On an audio conference call, how do you get your message across clearly and expressively when you can't see the other participants?

Often, the key to dealing with disruptive behaviors in a meeting is how you go about it.

Energy is the key to delivering your message in a way that stimulates the people around you.

If a meeting ends in the right way there's a sense of completion and satisfaction. Here are some ideas around how to achieve that.

Here are a few tips to help kick off your meeting with clarity, intention, and (most importantly) collegiality, or the human touch.

In a meeting, sometimes participants can feel left out and disengaged unless they've been given a specific reason for being there.

How much of this can you listen to before you want to push fast-forward? 'Um, welcome. Uhhhhhh, I, um‚ you know, was, ummmm, looking at the agenda.'

The meeting has started well but how do you keep up the momentum? Here are some answers.

Whether you're sending out information about a meeting, or conducting the meeting itself, pay attention to your tone; how you say something is as important as what you say.

Video conferences provide the opportunity to be both seen and heard. Here are a few specific dos and don'ts to keep in mind.

How should you conduct a virtual meeting? Do the same rules apply as in a face to face meeting? If not, what's different?

When your meeting is over, there are certain things you can do that can help to embed ideas and remind people of action items.

In this final video, Paul poses some final questions. When it comes running more effective meetings, what are the things you now need to stop, start or continue?