Effective meetings are a great way to set the direction for a group; ineffective meetings can cause confusion and lead to poor productivity. Some meetings positively influence team morale; others cause team members to question why they support the organization.

To successfully organize the meetings you are responsible for, take the following steps:

Prepare in advance: Determine beforehand the information you will be sharing. This will help you decide whether you need to have a 30-minute brainstorming session, a 15-minute Q-and-A period or a brief stand-up meeting just to make an announcement.

When preparing, visualize any questions that may arise, and incorporate their answers into your presentation. The presentation should be arranged to disseminate information as quickly and concisely as possible.

Visual aids such as PowerPoint or colorful overheads command the attention of the audience. Visual aids also help the attendees take notes and remember the information.

Write out an agenda: Outline the key points to be discussed, and determine who needs to discuss them. Make sure each point on the agenda is described briefly. On your master copy, place a time limit on each of the discussion points.

Mention that there will be a Q-and-A time at the end of the meeting. Also, you may want to consider creating a FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) section in the presentation.

E-mail presenters: Notify any speakers or presenters in advance. Before the meeting, send a preview of the agenda to each presenter and ask if they have any corrections or additions.

By having the agenda in advance, contributors will be able to adequately prepare to share with the team.

Pray: As a church bookstore manager, you are privileged to have the opportunity to open all meetings with prayer. Prayerful meetings that begin by asking the Holy Spirit for guidance tend to flow more smoothly and are more productive.

Stay on schedule: Limit questions to the current topic, or ask that attendees hold all questions until the end.

-Pearlina Simmons managed a church bookstore for seven years and now owns a marketing and planning firm.

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