In the Third Sector Valerie Morton offers a 'four p's' checklist for improvement. The first P is for place. Where do you hold your meetings? Locations can be critical to successful meetings. If they are always in the same place and at the same time, it can be challenging to get those creative juices flowing. The simple solution is to rotate locations and timings, and perhaps have the occasional meeting at an external venue. Next is people. You are likely to have the same people at most of your meetings: are you making the most or their individual skills and talents? If you have not done so already, try an exercise such as the Belbin Team Roles test. Carrying out the process will help everyone understand each other better and help you to ensure each person's natural talents are used to best effect. The third element is process. Your agenda might be an issue. Have your meetings grown organically over time, with more and more items and topics being added? Have you lost sight of the core objectives? Perhaps some items, such as those that are purely about exchanging information, can be dropped or moved to a separate conference call. Could some meetings be focused on a theme? The final P is preparation. Each item on the agenda needs to be thought through. How will you introduce it? Who will speak? What information do you need in advance to ensure a fruitful discussion? If everyone prepares well, discussions will naturally become more engaging and less formulaic. Send questions to valerie.morton@haymarket.com