Productive Meetings Follow these tips to make the most of meetings.

Working from home means no more last-minute meetings in theconference room. If someone wants to meet with you or vice versa,you have to plan ahead. Use the time between setting the date andactually holding the meeting to prepare in advance and make themost out of each meeting.

• First, determine whether you even need to hold a meeting bydescribing the purpose of the meeting in one sentence. If youdon't have a specific reason for holding a meeting, don'twaste your time or your clients'. Instead, find another way todiscuss a small issue by using e-mail, the phone or fax. If thepurpose of your meeting is clear, go ahead and schedule themeeting.

• Ask your client to include only those people who can make acontribution to the meeting. Your key contact at a corporation maybe the only person who needs to attend, instead of others who willmerely monopolize the conversation or try to manipulate everyoneelse.