Not long ago, The Wharton Center for Applied Research published the following findings:

• The average CEO spends about 17 hours/week in meetings.
• Senior executives average 23 hours/week in meetings.
• Middle managers spend 11 hours in meetings per week.
• Managers report that only 56% of meetings are productive, and that a phone call or a memo could replace over 25% of meetings.

Even more concerning, a recent (January 2004) Wall Street Journal article cited a survey that indicated 50% of workers at big companies said they had attended a meeting where at least one participant fell asleep! At smaller companies, the figure was only 26%! In the same article, author Kris Maher states, "The inability to run effective meetings can torpedo a career!"

In this workshop we will identify the basics associated with running effective meetings. We will share techniques for keeping participants engaged and focused on group-level issues, tips for making your meetings more productive, and discuss the four critical components of a successful business or sales meeting.