Any ideas for running productive meetings?

A friend and fellow blogger, Christopher Scott shares some ideas about running effective meetings. Reading through his post, I am convinced that most people could gain an extra 1-3 hours a week by implementing consistent strategies of "effective meeting management."

Out of curiosity, if you're reading this would you mind leaving your "one" great tip for running/attending meetings below in the comments area?

Comments

[Sharon]

Action items. Who will do what by when? End the meeting with "What I heard was (who) will do (what) by (when)?" That summary is powerful and oriented to getting the next step done. If any element isn't defined, this forces the conversation. If you can't walk away from a meeting with a clear set of action items, the meeting probably wasn't worth having.

[Christopher Scott]

Here is one that came to mind today:

If you serve food, make sure that it is served before the meeting begins. Nothing will distract a guy more than the jelly of a Crispy Creme donut squirting out onto his brand new pants! :-)

[Andy]

Here's my tip:-

Design a realistic agenda and stick to it rigidly in all but the most exceptional circumstances