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How to properly wrap up a meeting

by Celine on December 8th, 2007

No, you don’t do it with scissors and tape just like the image on the left indicates. A meeting wrap-up is basically the summary, the last part of the meeting where the people are ready to pack up their stuff and leave. With everyone watching the clock at this point, you need to bring the meeting to an end. Here’s how you can do that well:

Make sure that all the listed attendees are still there. Oh you know why. You’ve probably excused yourself at least once in your life during a meeting to “go to the bathroom”, when really you were answering a phone call from your best friend about the latest gossip. All the attendees should be present during the wrap-up because it pretty much summarizes everything that happened - quite handy for those who dozed off or daydreamed.

Go over the main points briefly. Because at least one person will miss or forget some of the points that were raised.

Read out loud the list of deliverables, who’s accountable for them, and when they’re due. Forgive me if I assume that your colleagues have the short term memory of a goldfish, but you need to be absolutely sure that they’ll be doing their assigned tasks. Doing this at the end of the meeting helps everyone remember what their deliverables are, and they’re more likely to start planning it as soon as the meeting ends.

Arrange the follow-up meeting. Some meetings need to have a follow-up, and you need to schedule it before the current meeting ends. If you have a rough idea of what the agenda will be, announce it as well.

Let them know where they can access the meeting minutes. Is it via email, a memo, or is a mime going to perform it via interpretative dance? Most attendees will need to access the meeting minutes for their own projects, or as a reference to some tasks. It helps if you tell them where they can find/receive the information.

Ask if anyone has questions or comments. Some people won’t be saying anything in the “heat of the moment”, especially if the meeting is about something sensitive. In my experience, I often don’t ask questions the second I think of them because I’ll be interrupting a speaker. If anyone has reserved any questions or comments for the end of the meeting, they should be given the chance to express them.

End it positively. Thank everyone for attending. Let them know you appreciate the time and effort they took to be there. This is especially important since most people don’t like meetings.

This wraps up today’s post on how to wrap up your meetings. If you like Pimp Your Work, please subscribe to the RSS feed or vote for Pimp Your Work in the b5 Business Channel Apprentice Contest (it’s a poll in the right column).

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POSTED IN: Meeting magic