Have you ever been in meeting where people were talking about everything apart from the items on the agenda? Maybe this happens too often? How can it be stopped? Well, if it only lasts for a short time, the best thing is to be very casual and say something like: "Ok Guy we are going a bit off track here. Let is focus on the agenda and the problem we need to sort out."
When participants have been off track for some time and Meeting Participant
Believe it or not, everyone invited to and attending a business meeting has a critical role to play in terms of making a contribution to the overall meeting effectiveness and productive meeting outcomes.
If you are invited to attend a meeting as a participant, but do not have a particular leadership role, don’t think you can just sit back and relax and let everyone else do the work.
Meeting participants are critical to successful meeting outcomes and for this reason it is just as important for participants to understand their roles and responsibilities in the meeting process as it is for those running the meeting.
As a meeting participant, to make a meeting more effective and to achieve your own objectives, you should prepare thoroughly for meeting, know your own objectivesbefore the meeting starts.
When preparing for the meeting, it is a good idea to read the agenda before the meeting. Look through all the agenda points and make a list of any questions or suggestions that you have, highlight subjects where you may need to respond, and research any topics or information you may need to talk about at the meeting. You have to be clear about the aims and objectives of the meeting.