Behavioral scientists have been studying how to make meetings more effective for decades. This book is not necessarily a breakthrough in this study, but it does offer an applied framework for managing meetings, rather than a theoretical one. One thing is certain: Quality of leadership is an important determinant of meeting success.

Conducting a meeting is a difficult job, because groups want leaders with just the right balance between "taking charge" and "letting go." Leaders who are too dominant or too passive will have ineffective group meetings. An effective leader balances process control and content control, which requires considerable skill. Meetings function as information-processing systems in organizations. In good meetings, issues are fully discussed, decisions are well considered and need no rework, and participants feel good about participating. A meeting leader, then, is responsible for the contribution of information and ideas by group members, the clarity of communication, the focus of discussion, and the resolution of disagreement. There are ways to plan and conduct meetings that accomplish these purposes, and that is where this book comes in.