Amidst all the logistics of planning a meeting, it’s easy to forget the impact the start and end has on the meeting as a whole. Below are a few simple tips you can use while planning to make sure your next meeting is as successful as it can be.

To ensure the meeting begins on time and participants have the needed resources to start immediately, you can:

• Develop an agenda a week in advance and send it to participants.
• Ask participants to review the agenda and encourage them to add anything missing so all key items can be addressed.
• Confirm the meeting’s time and location with participants the day before.
• Establish a firm start and end time so everyone gets down to business faster and knows when to wrap everything up.
• Choose an unusual time like 2:05 to improve punctuality.

The ending of a meeting is also very important, because it’s the way a meeting concludes that solidifies the ideas offered and decisions made during the discussion, which leaves participants feeling productive and satisfied. Here are some things you can do:

• Establish clear wrap-up procedures including a conclusion and summarization of the items discussed.
• Have a timekeeper that signals the time a few minutes before the end.
• Set a deadline for reporting back and follow-up.