Q: Too many of the meetings at my company are long, disorganized time-wasters. What can I do to make them more efficient?A: As a meeting attendee, you are, in a word, stuck. So do your part to speed things up by arriving promptly. Bring a doable chunk of work in case you have to wait for others to arrive. When the meeting starts, don't feel you have to speak up. Being an active participant means listening attentively, making eye contact, taking notes and, above all, not fidgeting. If a discussion strays, ask a question that returns everyone's focus to the key topic. But be sure not to let the frustrations of a disorganized meeting lead you to speak impulsively. Take a moment, take a breath and then talk.When it's time to run your own meeting, all your experience in sitting through those of other people will come in handy. Show you mean business by including a starting and an ending time for your meeting when you first announce it. Maintain the meeting's focus by passing out a one-page agenda in 14-point type so it's easy to read. Keep your descriptions of agenda points brief. For a 30-minute meeting—an ideal length to tackle most issues—three agenda points are usually sufficient. Map out how much time you plan to spend on each item and build in at least five minutes for tangents that will inevitably arise. When they do, deal with them concisely. The more direct you are, the more control you will have over your meeting. Conclude with a summary of who's doing what. When people commit to a task in public, it's more likely to get done, and you eliminate the need to write a follow-up memo. Then check the clock—it's a great idea to put one right in the center of the table. If you have ended on time, congratulations! You've run a meeting your coworkers can appreciate—and emulate.  

    Our Expert: Joy J. D. Baldridge Business consultant for Fortune 500 companies, author of The Fast Forward MBA in Selling and mother of two children, ages 9 and 3