Meetings are often seen as a necessary evil - office timewasters that just can't be ignored or avoided. But with a little careful planning and managing, an office manager or administrator can turn meetings into valuable planning and communication sessions.

The first step in the planning process is using a meeting agenda:

• A meeting agenda will establish the clear purpose of the meeting, avoiding any confusion and stop the meeting from veering all over the place.
• The agenda will also clearly establish the location and time of the meeting, so everyone knows where to meet, preventing unnecessary time wasting.
• The agenda should also cover the need for any audio-visual equipment and catering. There is nothing worst than discovering that the lead speaker needs a projector when it's being repaired!
• Use the meeting agenda to establish who should attend the meeting and then print it out and circulate it to all relevant employees. This way, everyone will know who should attend, the time of the meeting and what topics are being discussed - giving them time to thoroughly prepare.
• The agenda will also clearly establish in advance who is doing the vital task of minute-taking (you or a deputy), and that you/they have good minute-taking tools.
• And finally, a meeting agenda will help you to think of any eventuality that might happen or any mishap that might remotely occur - and give you time to prevent it.

The key speaker may mistakenly think that he or she is managing the meeting. But in reality, if a meeting is to be truly successful, the reigns of management are firmly in the hands of the office manager. To manage a meeting effectively, a sign-in sheet is essential:

• A sign in sheet has all the key meeting details at top - title/issue, date, location, time from/to, called/chaired by, so there is no confusion as to what is being discussed, who is speaking and where it is taking place.
• It also has an area where meeting attendees can fill in their details - allowing the meeting manager to quickly and efficiently introduce everyone.

For a meeting to have long-lasting impact it's important that it's not concluded till a clear set of action points has been drawn-up and responsibilities clarified to those affected and date set for next meeting. To do this, you need a post-meeting minutes and action list:

• A post-meeting minutes and action list will highlight the main points of the meeting and focus on specific action points.
• In doing so, it prevents people forgetting about the issues discussed as they become immersed in their daily work.
• An effective minutes and action list will remind attendees of the key meeting details, including who attended and who was absent.
• It will highlight any topics/issues discussed.
• And ultimately it will allocate action points and the assigned person/people to undertake them - including the timescale/deadline for completion.
• Once the meeting is completed, make sure you circulate a post meeting minutes and action list to all attendees as soon as possible so the momentum created by the meeting is not lost.