Hindsight Is...

Well, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's 2020 Summit is over and we'll just have to wait to see if anything really useful comes from the weekend talkfest.

Despite the dedication and sincerity of all those who took part, the event was not without its criticism:

HUNDREDS of NEWS.com.au readers have been having their say on the 2020 Summit, and most aren't happy.

The majority of the more than 370 comments received today have been critical, with readers decrying a lack of new ideas, substance and “ordinary Australians” among the delegates.

and

AN embarrassed Kevin Rudd has been forced to apologise to Muslim delegates at this month's 2020 Summit because their religious dietary needs were ignored by caterers who could not tell the difference between halal and vegetarian food.

and

We sat down to watch the opening of the 2020 Best and Brightest Summit at 8.30 am on Saturday and three and a half hours later we gave up. This is why…

All of which made us wonder - can anything useful at all be gained from meetings?

The answer is yes - just so long that are run well.

1. Set an agenda for the meeting and and make sure everyone has a copy well in advance. This ensures that everyone comes fully informed.

2. The meeting should be chaired by someone who can take charge and keep everyone on track.

3. The meeting should have a notetaker to keep a track of ideals, suggestions and criticisms. Toward the end of the meeting the notetaker should recap the key points of the discussion ready for turning into resolutions or decisions ready for voting on.

4. Once the resolution is framed it should be then written on a whiteboard or straight into a computer so everyone can be certain about what decision have been made.

5. From those decisions, an action plan assigning responsibilities should be drawn up and a date set to follow up on the action plan. This assists in accountability and ensures that meetings actually result in action.