Meetings are vital for brainstorming, problem-solving, and decision-making. Follow these pointers to make your meetings more effective and productive.

• Avoid scheduling back-to-back meetings. When scheduling meetings, look at what else is going on in your organization that day. Make sure your meeting is not conflicting with another—and that it is not scheduled right before or after another meeting that you and/or your attendees are expected to attend.
• Define key parameters. Decide who needs to attend and make sure those folks who have to be there are available. For people who are “nice to have” or “might be interested,” let them know their attendance is optional. Before the meeting, list its purpose and start the meeting stating those goals.
• Try a device-free meeting. Ask attendees to refrain from checking texts and emails until after the meeting; if the meeting is longer than 30 minutes, consider giving attendees a short break to check devices.
• Don’t forget the wrap-up. End the meeting with a recap of what was decided and who is responsible for follow-up tasks.

For more advice, read “Hate Meetings? Here Are 9 Ways to Make Them More Productive.”