You should be proud of all the hard work you put into planning and facilitating an effective meeting. Most meetings don’t produce the value you have created.
But the work isn’t over yet. Just a few more things to do and you will have successfully led your meeting all the way from start to finish!
After the meeting ends, you’re still in charge of making sure that any plans you formed, decisions you made, or actions that you assigned are actually completed.
Follow Up Email
Using the notes that you took during the meeting, craft an email to everyone who attended. This recap email serves several purposes…
Express your appreciation! It can be hard to get away from the hustle and bustle of work to attend a meeting, so say “Thank you!” to all those who made it.
Recap your meeting. Make sure everyone is clear on what happened, what decisions were made, and what the next steps are.
Write an honest and focused summary of what happened at the meeting. This reminds people who attended what happened, and provides info to those who weren’t able to be there.
In your email, focus on the forward progress that you made. No need to give a word for word transcription of everything that was said. It’s best to focus on the results as opposed to all the work it took to get there.
Track Progress
For those people who were assigned action items, check in with them every so often. Following up on the results of your meeting will help ensure that things are accomplished in a timely manner.
Tracking the progress also helps move everything forward and makes you a more effective leader. Being able to catch something early on because you’re keeping track of it means that you’ll be able to spot and fix any issues quickly.
And, you’re setting yourself up for your next successful meeting. The next time your group comes together, you’ll be able to start off with the positive accomplishments that your team has made instead of wasting time dealing with unfinished tasks.
So now you’ve done it! From planning, to execution and following up, you’ve just demonstrated how you can be an effective leader who runs amazing meetings.
Speaking of meetings… if you want even more help on your journey to reaching your potential, we could have a meeting together, just you and me! Visit my Services & Products page for more info on how I can help you upgrade your vision.
Jessica Hartung
Jessica Hartung is a partner, coach, and guide for those leveling-up their personal professional leadership, their teams, and their communities to a better future.
Jessica has a passion for inspiring and preparing people to grow from their work to improve their lives. In 1998, she founded Integrated Work, a consulting firm that brings top-notch professional development to mission-driven leaders, while being a learning laboratory for innovative work practices.
Jessica provides self-directed professional development tools to leaders at all levels striving to create positive impact.
