With the mantle of management comes a little-considered power: meetings. Managers control meetings and can see to it they are efficient and productive. Hate meetings as an underling? You can change them as a manager.

The fact is that most media types have never been trained in the art of the meeting. "There isn't a tradition, especially in journalism, of training and leadership that other industries offer," notes Scott M. Libin, a member of the Leadership and Management faculty at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. "People try to figure it out on their own or imitate how they've seen it done. Sometimes it works, but not always." Libin, who was previously news director of KSTP-TV, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and vice president of news at WGHP-TV in the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem market, has run more than a few meetings in his time. He says there are a few ground rules that could be applied to any type of staff gathering. Some may seem obvious, but we all know the painful results when any one of them is broken:

HAVE AN AGENDA
"An agenda is a common understanding of what the meeting should accomplish," says Libin. For example, are we getting together to brainstorm? To discuss ideas already submitted? To troubleshoot? The manager should not only determine the agenda, but communicate it ahead of time—perhaps via email—to anyone who should be there. Regular meetings, such as weekly editorial updates, wouldn't require a written communication, as long as attendees understand why they are meeting so that they can come prepared. Sally Tusa, who was managing editor of Babytalk for two years before becoming editor-in-chief of Lamaze Parents and Baby Steps, is a big believer in the agenda. "You want people to feel like you're meeting for a purpose instead of just meeting to meet."

KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET
Ideally, no more than 30 to 45 minutes. What it comes down to is respecting people's time, says Libin. "When you do that, people are more willing to participate." Tusa says she keeps her weekly edit meetings to 15 to 20 minutes, tops. "Long meetings are bad for everyone," she says. "People stop paying attention and nothing gets accomplished." Of course, not every meeting can be so short. Tusa notes that a planning meeting for future issues could last as long as an hour-and-a-half.

START ON TIME
We all know the scene: Everyone gathers and starts talking about the weekend or a new movie. "It is hard to rein everyone in, but you do have to interrupt and say 'Hey, guys, we have to get started and the first item is X,'" notes Tusa. Starting promptly is another way of respecting people's time, Lubin adds. However, he has his own device that also serves to get things rolling on a positive note. As a TV news director, Lubin would set aside a few minutes at the top of the meeting to celebrate or highlight a report or project that had worked especially well. "I would play a piece of tape and say I wanted to call attention to something that was terrific in last night's ten o'clock news. I'd point out why I thought it succeeded, and then ask the staffer to comment. I found people showed up on time just to see whose work would be held up in that way. I've never known an investment in positive reinforcement that didn't pay off," he says.

MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS AND INTERRUPTIONS
Unless it's absolutely necessary, limit laptops, cell phones and Blackberries at meetings. People have a natural tendency to check email or the web if given the opportunity. You want your employees focused so the meeting can progress at a reasonable rate, and for the most part, they want things to go quickly, too. So limit technology to paper and pens.

RUN IT EFFICIENTLY, BUT DON'T SQUELCH CREATIVITY
"There is always the challenge of wanting to foster discussion that is essential to the editorial process and not wanting things to drag on," says Libin. "It's a natural tension, but it's up to the manager to find the balance."

TAKE-AWAY IS ESSENTIAL
Tusa says it's important to give people something to walk away with, whether it's new information about something they're working on, an assignment, or getting the team aligned on upcoming projects. Naturally, staffers need to know the deadline for any new assignments or for reporting back on their progress. "Everyone should walk out clear about what's next," says Libin.

ON YOUR NOT-TO-DO LIST
So those are the rules. But what about mistakes to avoid? "One of the worst things a manager can do is encourage people to speak up and then hammer them when they do," says Libin. "You may not love every suggestion, but in the interest of encouraging participation, you have to foster that safe environment where people can think out loud. That's what they're there for—to contribute thoughts and ideas." And what about the overly ambitious editor who is more than happy to trash her competition's fabulous concept for the special belly fat issue? "If someone is acting egregiously, address it privately," Libin says. "But at the end of the meeting, in earshot of everyone else, I think it's okay to say you'd like to talk to that person in your office. That let's people know you're following up."

In search of other meeting blunders, we consulted with Diane Potter, Chief Consumer Marketing Officer at Working Mother Media. Here are a few of this business side guru's pet peeves, garnered from years of attending meetings:

• The impromptu meeting. You know what it's like. You're sitting at your desk, hard at work or trolling blogs, when your boss sticks his head in to call you into the conference room. As Potter points out, "you can be called in suddenly and have no idea what will be talked about. You can't prepare and that doesn't make it very productive."
• Not calling a meeting when you should. "Email communication can be inefficient," she says. "Sometimes it's better to just go down the hall and get with the person who started the chain and resolve the problem quickly."
• Not inviting people who should be there. "Make sure you have everyone in the room who can help achieve the objective," she says. "Whoever sets up the meeting needs to consider whether the discussion will have implications for another part of the organization."
• Leaving the most important item on the agenda until last. "I've sat in meetings where the allotted time is up and people are still coming up with answers, problems or ideas as they walk out the door," she says. Not the sign of a well-run meeting.

Deborah A. Wilburn is a freelance writer and author of For Richer, Not Poorer: The Newlyweds' Financial Survival Guide.