"Meetings, Bloody Meetings" is the title of a management training video starring British Comedian John Cleese. It's a title that sums up a sentiment with which I'm sure many empathise. There are some jobs where it seems as though there's an endless stream of meetings to attend and not enough time to carry out the action steps agreed upon in the meetings.

So the first time management tip regarding running effective and productive meetings is to decide whether or not it is necessary to host the meeting at all? If you are simply wish to disseminate information then a meeting is not the best use of your time or the time of those you intend to invite to participate.

However, if a meeting is needed then here are 7 more expert time management tips to help you achieve maximum effectiveness and productivity in your meetings:

1. Evaluate whether or not it's absolutely essential to meet in person. Perhaps the meeting can be conducted via a webinar or simply over the phone. This could save a lot of travel time.

2. Ensure there's a clear and concise agenda for the meeting and allocate a time for agenda items. This will help attendees to stay focused on the agenda item and not go off on tangents. This in turn will help to ensure that meetings run to time.

3. Select or elect a chair for the meeting who can be depended upon to keep the meeting moving in a forwards direction while allowing everyone to make a meaningful contribution.

4. Prepare and distribute any documents for the meeting well in advance of the meeting and encourage attendees to read the material beforehand. Sounds basic but often people wait until the meeting itself to read the associated papers and so they are not fully prepared for the meeting.

5. Aim to start meetings on time every time. Sometimes this may not be possible for instance, if it's a board meeting and there are not sufficient members present for the meeting to be quorate. However, in other cases, you want to develop a reputation for being punctual.

Stakeholders will learn that if they want to express their views on certain issues then they had better be on time. And don't feel obligated to brief latecomers. That will defeat the purpose of starting on time and further disrupt the flow of the meeting.

6. Schedule meetings at odd times such as 1:25pm or 12:50pm. An irregular time will help individuals pay more attention to the actual time of the meeting and encourage punctuality.

7. Encourage people to listen attentively. Often time is wasted in meetings repeating what has already been said.