Business Meeting Guide: Tips + Tools for Successful Meetings

Business meetings can drive your company forward—or drain valuable time and energy. The difference lies in how you plan and execute them.

Employees at small and midsize businesses (SMBs) spend about 10 hours per week in meetings, according to Fellow, a meeting app maker. That’s far too much time to spend on sessions that are disorganized and demoralizing. Fortunately, with a few time-tested tactics, you can run effective business meetings that keep your team members focused and tasks moving forward.

Here’s how to conduct successful business meetings, along with a list of tools to help you meet your meeting objectives.

Types of meetings

There are many types of business meetings, which vary in scope, formality, and agenda, as well as the number and type of employees involved. Meetings generally fall into two categories: internal and external.

Internal meetings

Internal meetings involve members from within the same organization. They are crucial for team alignment, project execution, and organizational development. Here are some common internal meetings:

• All-hands meeting. With its name taken from the sailing expression “all hands on deck,” this is a large gathering involving an entire company or a major department. Some companies hold all-hands meetings weekly. Others reserve them for sharing company-wide updates, celebrating achievements, discussing strategic direction, or addressing major announcements. A small business with a single location may conduct an all-hands meeting in person while a large corporation may choose a hybrid structure with both in-person and online attendance.

• Stand-up meeting. This is a brief, daily meeting where team members quickly share what they worked on the previous day, what they plan to work on today, and any impediments they face. Its brevity and frequency promote quick problem identification and team alignment. This type of meeting is also known as a daily scrum by organizations that use the Agile methodology.

• Kick-off meeting. Organizations hold kick-off meetings at the beginning of new projects or initiatives. Its purpose is to officially launch the project, ensure all team members understand the goals, scope, roles, and initial steps, fostering enthusiasm and shared understanding.

• Team meeting. This is a gathering of a specific team or department to discuss ongoing projects, allocate tasks, resolve issues, share updates, and maintain team cohesion. These generally occur regularly, with a fixed meeting time.

• Check-in. Also called a one-on-one, this is a meeting between a team leader and their direct report. Discussion topics include individual performance, career development, questions and concerns, and feedback.

• Brainstorming session. A brainstorming session is an informal meeting designed to generate a large number of creative ideas or solutions to a specific problem. Sometimes called innovation meetings, these gatherings focus on quantity and uninhibited thinking.

• Decision-making meeting. While brainstorming meetings generate new ideas, decision-making meetings turn those ideas into tangible initiatives. These decision-making business meetings may involve starting a new project from scratch and appointing a project manager. 

• Debrief. Also called a post-mortem or a retrospective meeting in Agile, this is a meeting held at the end of an iteration or project to reflect on successes, failures, and instructive takeaways. The goal is to enhance communication among meeting participants and improve processes for future projects. 

External meetings

External meetings include individuals or groups from outside the immediate organization. These are vital for business development, client relations, partnerships, and strategic planning. Here are some of the more common types of external meetings:

• Client meeting. This is a meeting with existing or prospective clients. Some client meetings serve as initial sales pitches. Once a client has signed on, these meetings can establish rapport through onboarding sessions, progress reports, feedback sessions, and long-term strategic planning sessions.

• Supplier meeting. Also known as a vendor meeting, this takes place between internal stakeholders and external providers of goods or services. Companies use such meetings to negotiate contracts, review service-level agreements (SLAs), discuss supply chain issues, or explore new offerings.

• Partnership meeting. This is a meeting with a strategic partner in pursuit of mutually beneficial business objectives. Organizations use partnership meetings to explore collaboration opportunities, review existing joint ventures, or align on shared goals.

• Board meeting. Board meetings convene a company’s board of directors, who oversee the company but typically don’t participate in day-to-day operations. Board meetings also include the company’s CEO and sometimes other senior officers. As such, they’re a mix of internal and external figures, although all participants have a relationship to the company. Board meetings often function as status update meetings where company officers report on progress, successes, and potential challenges facing the business.

• Investor meeting. Businesses use meetings with current or potential investors to pitch business ideas, report on financial performance, discuss future growth strategies, or seek funding.

• Networking events. These are informal gatherings or one-on-one sessions aimed at building professional relationships, exchanging ideas, and exploring potential future collaborations or opportunities.

• Public forum. Also called a town hall, this is a meeting open to the general public or a specific community. Organizations hold town halls to discuss public issues, gather input, or address community concerns. They may combine a structured agenda with an open segment for public comment.

12 tips for conducting a successful business meeting 

1. Consider if a meeting is even necessary
2. Set a clear meeting agenda
3. Invite relevant stakeholders
4. Choose an appropriate format and platform
5. Declare your meeting goals
6. Establish ground rules and meeting rituals
7. Prepare presentation assets
8. Encourage participation and team collaboration
9. Maintain focus and respect people
10. Assign clear action items
11. Express gratitude and nurture personal relationships
12. Summarize the meeting in a follow-up email

Successful meetings share key characteristics: clear focus, the right participants, active engagement, and concrete outcomes. Here are 12 steps you can take to make your next meeting as effective as possible:

1. Consider if a meeting is even necessary

Before scheduling your next business meeting, ask yourself: Could this information be shared just as effectively through email or a quick message?

Employees have long joked (or not), “This meeting could have been an email”—a mantra now emblazoned on everything from t-shirts to candles. Before calling a new meeting, ensure it isn’t better suited for an email or a Slack update or simply an extra agenda item for the next regularly scheduled one-on-one or daily stand-up.

2. Set a clear meeting agenda

Before the meeting begins, define your primary aim and preview each agenda item to help participants prepare. For formal meetings, email this agenda, include time estimates, and designate who will lead each section. Even informal meetings benefit from structure—give your participants a sense of what to expect and how to prepare. 

3. Invite relevant stakeholders

Effective business meetings include only the people who need to be there. You should always include relevant stakeholders and key decision-makers who are necessary for the meeting goals, but other team members might not need to attend. You don’t need the marketing department at a supplier meeting. If you need to update them on something from that meeting, send an email or bring it up in a separate meeting focused on marketing.

Calendly’s 2024 State of Meetings survey ranked “missing critical attendees” among the top three reasons meetings are unproductive.

4. Choose an appropriate format and platform

The most effective meeting format depends on your objectives. For example, for team-building meetings—where trust and rapport are the goals—79% of professionals in a 2023 Harvard Business Review survey reported that gathering in person is more effective than gathering virtually. However, supplier meetings may be more efficient via video conferencing platforms, particularly if you simply want to track progress on an existing initiative.

5. Declare your meeting goals

For every meeting, whether it’s a quick stand-up for ongoing projects or formal meetings for quarterly strategic reviews, establish clear objectives from the outset so that everyone is on the same page. If you’re picking up where a previous meeting left off, say so. Also remind participants that off-topic discussions should be saved for a separate meeting.

6. Establish ground rules and meeting rituals

Set expectations early to create productive meeting habits. The meeting experience can benefit from setting shared ground rules, such as avoiding multitasking and embracing active listening. Some team leaders kick things off with particular rituals, such as sharing a fun fact or naming an interesting point made at the last meeting. When everyone understands what’s expected of them during meetings, you’ll see more focused, collaborative, and productive sessions.

7. Prepare presentation assets

If your meeting involves giving a presentation to clients, board members, or your internal team, create prepared slides, summaries, and other relevant documents that stakeholders may need. Rehearse your presentation and make sure you’re staying on topic and under time—your presentation won’t be the end of the meeting, so leave plenty of room for questions and comments. Before your meeting, check that your equipment is working as needed, especially if your meeting is in an unfamiliar location like a client’s office.

8. Encourage participation and team collaboration

Strong leaders encourage input from their team. An active meeting, where many people contribute ideas, can foster creative solutions to specific challenges. Balance is key—ensure extroverted team members don’t dominate the conversation while creating opportunities for quieter colleagues to share their insights.

According to Calendly’s report, 91% of meeting participants said they were engaged and actively listening when they had an assigned role. 

9. Maintain focus and respect people’s time

It’s easy for discussions to veer off topic. As a leader, you must maintain focus and honor the schedule’s end time. Consider appointing a timekeeper. Gently redirect conversations that stray from the agenda. If an interesting point arises that isn’t on the agenda but is valuable, acknowledge it and suggest parking it for the next meeting or a separate discussion.

10. Assign clear action items

A meeting’s success isn’t just about discussion; it’s about what happens afterward. Every business meeting needs to end with specific tasks assigned. Record any tasks assigned using a shared document or project management tool, and check in on tasks and project status at the top of the next meeting.

11. Express gratitude and nurture personal relationships

Whether you’re working with an established team or a group of trainees, it’s always productive to take a moment to express gratitude for contributions and effort. Doing so fosters trust and morale, which can get you through tough discussions, such as those that may occur during problem-solving meetings. In fact, employees of organizations where regular recognition is part of the culture are 60% more likely to go the extra mile, according to the 2025 Great Place to Work survey.

12. Summarize the meeting in a follow-up email

According to Calendly’s report, not sharing a follow-up summary and action items is the top issue with unproductive meetings. Within 24 hours after a meeting, send an email to meeting participants, as well as those who didn’t attend but may need to know details from the meeting. Summarize key points, the current status of projects, decisions made, and any relevant planning details for future meetings. The email should also include tasks assigned during the meeting, along with their corresponding deadlines. Follow up individually with team members on their specific action items as needed.

5 business meeting tools

1. Microsoft Teams
2. Slack
3. Asana
4. Otter.ai
5. ClickUp

Whether you’re planning meetings, actively conducting them, or following up after the fact, you can use software tools, including some AI-powered productivity tools, to assist your work. Here are five to try:

1. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a comprehensive communication and collaboration platform that’s part of the Microsoft 365 software suite. Its features include chat, video conferencing, file storage, and app integration. Teams can simplify your meeting logistics, allowing you to schedule calls, share screens, co-edit documents, and record sessions. The application seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft tools, making it a seamless solution for various internal meetings, from daily stand-ups to strategic reviews.

Pricing: Starts at $4 per user per month, billed annually.

2. Slack

Slack is a channel-based messaging platform facilitating real-time communication and team collaboration. It’s ideal for pre- and post-meeting communications, whether that involves sharing meeting agendas or having quick follow-up discussions. Slack’s extensive integrations allow it to connect with other tools for seamless coordination of ongoing projects across different platforms.

Pricing: Slack has a free version. Paid plans, with AI functionalities including AI-generated summaries and workflows, begin at $7.25 per user per month, billed annually.

3. Asana

Asana is a project and task management tool that excels in visualizing workflows and keeping teams aligned on priorities. You can use this software to schedule planning meetings, document meeting goals, and follow up with clearly assigned tasks. Asana integrates with popular applications like Zoom and Slack. While you might assign work via another platform, Asana ensures that work gets completed on time.

Pricing: Asana offers a limited free plan for individuals and small teams up to 10 people. Paid plans start at $10.99 per user per month, billed annually. 

4. Otter.ai

Otter.ai is an AI-powered transcription tool that records, transcribes, and summarizes business meetings in real time. It’s especially useful for video conferencing platforms, allowing teams to capture notes from Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. Otter produces searchable transcripts that can help you recall key points, assign tasks, and loop in others who may have missed the meeting.

Pricing: Otter’s limited free plan allows for up to 300 minutes of transcription per month. Paid plans start at $8.33 per user per month, billed annually.

5. ClickUp

ClickUp is a flexible productivity and project management platform designed to streamline ongoing projects, task tracking, and meeting goals. Its standout features include Docs and Whiteboards features, both of which you can leverage for capturing meeting agendas, brainstorming, and assigning follow-up actions.

Pricing: ClickUp’s free version is meant for individual use. Paid options start at $7 per user per month, billed annually.