About this course

This course is on how meetings can be effective. It shows how you can plan, manage and follow up on meetings to ensure that they achieve their objectives.

We use meetings to share information and discuss and agree on issues. Sometimes meetings work well and objectives are met. However, other meetings do not appear to achieve much and appear to be a waste of time.

This course builds meeting design and management capabilities that avoid some of the traps that result in ineffective meetings to ensure that time spent in meetings is effectively used and productive.

What this course offers

Taking the course will enable you to understand more about meetings and develop skills,  knowledge and processes that will enable you to become more capable of running effective meetings.

What you will learn 

The course addresses the following topics.

1. What is an effective meeting?

This describes different types of meetings in terms of their purpose. It shows how the objectives of meetings need to be understood in order to have an effective meeting. An effective meeting achieves the objectives set for it.

2. How do you plan for effective meetings?

Once the objectives for the meeting are understood, meetings can be planned to achieve these objectives. Meeting structure and timing can be designed to ensure meeting activities such as the sharing of information, discussion, and agreement, and can be organised in a way that ensures that objectives are achieved.

3.  How do you manage effective meetings?

Following the agenda of the meeting and achieving the objectives of a meeting requires the meeting to guided by a chairperson. This is a skilled activity that needs to work with participants and respond to dynamics of the meeting to ensure that objectives are met.

4.  How do you follow up on effective meetings?

Good meetings can be a waste of time if no minutes are taken and shared, as people soon forget what was discussed and agreed. Therefore, following up with participants after meetings is an important way of ensuring that the meeting achieves change beyond the discussions at the meeting.

5. Are there tools and guides you can use for effective meetings?

Agenda and minute templates and checklists help ensure meetings are effective, as they ensure all of the key issues are addressed and not accidentally omitted. By avoiding ‘reinventing the wheel’ they also save time and allow meeting organisers to be more effective.

How you will learn

The course is online and you will be able to access the following resources

• Course presentation
• Course book
• Course quiz
• Templates and guides
• Course work
• Additional reading

The course is self-paced and you can work through the material in your own time. Course numbers are capped, so the length of access to courses will be limited to provide access to new participants. However, we aim to provide access for at least 1 month.

Course certificate

A course certificate can be provided should you wish to receive formal confirmation of your successful completion of the course. For this, you must download and apply tools and guides provided and submit coursework. This will be reviewed by the Course Instructor and, where requirements are met, a course certificate will be issued.

What do I need to attend the course?

You will need access to the Internet and a Gmail account with a password to access the course.  

Who developed the course?

The course was developed by Instructors who have designed and run management and technical courses for the United Nations, government departments, universities, professional bodies and community organisations.   

Accessing the course, course books, tools and guides

Access to the course enables you to view the presentations, the course book, tools and guides, the additional reading, the coursework and take the quiz. Access the course here.

Course books, tools and guides can be viewed online during the course. If you would like to download and use these, these can be accessed through the shop.