Planning and conducting meetings effectively, part III: keeping meetings on track

The attendees at a meeting have different ways in which they get information and make decisions, different personal needs, and different ways in which they participate in groups. Some have counterproductive behaviors in committee meetings, such as attacking others, talking too long but not saying much, talking too little, deliberately trying to undermine the process, bringing up unrelated issues, engaging in private conversations with others, or silencing others. The chairperson must meet all of these challenges to have a productive meeting. This article gives some tips on how to run meetings well.