W8 How to lead effective meetings

A DIY training aid

First published on this website in August 2026

Synopsis

This is the eighth DIY Workshop to be published on this website and sets out the training I have led on this topic over many years. My plan is to make most of my former training events available to everyone with guidance for a leader/enabler and a set of handout sheets for participants.

This new workshop offers a half- or full-day training session for Ministers or ministry leaders of any kind in a church or mission agency. There are four parts.

1. Understanding meetings
   An overview of various types of meeting and a warning of their time-costs
2. Clarifying purpose
   Back to basics to examine purpose plus a range of practical issues
3. Building the team
   Though not a technical ‘team’ the group that meets needs to play like one
4. Sitting in the chair
   The role of Chair likened to an orchestral conductor

Use this material and its 10 handout sheets of headings and exercises to offer an informative and attractive session on understanding how to chair a meeting which gets the business done in a Christian context.

There is a set of ten hand-out sheets to accompany this material which can be accessed here: