Go through the meeting agenda
First of all, as Forbes states, you must go through the meeting agenda step by step. You should ideally send the agenda to participants in advance so they can prepare for the topics. But even in that case, you should still acquaint participants with the agenda again at the start of the meeting so that everybody is on the same page.
Find out whether anyone wants to add some topic
Now is the time to ask the participants whether they want to add any further topics to the agenda. In your meeting plan, you should block at least a few minutes for any such ad hoc agenda points. Raising this issue at the very outset enables you to incorporate any new topic into the structure of the meeting in a logical way. And you will also ensure there is enough time to cover this point.
Check whether everyone really needs to be at the meeting
After you agree on the agenda, check again that all those present really do need to be there. If you discover certain topics do not concern some people at all (or only very marginally), you may allow the given employees to leave.
Start with something positive
The initial tone determines the atmosphere in which the whole meeting will take place. It is therefore advisable to start with something positive, such as a joke, a humorous point, praise or a piece of good news.
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