People hate meetings. It’s why the writers for “The Office” will never run out of material. But you can do serious damage to your career if you don’t get good at “meeting.”

My company, PGi, hosts more than 40 million global meetings a year and we count 90% of the Fortune 500 as customers. So we know a little something about making meetings enjoyable and productive. 

We’ve gone beyond the obvious tips to come up with the “Top Meeting Resolutions” to help you lead better meetings in 2010.  There are three key areas to remember: respect, engage and connect.

Are you following these rules when you meet?  

1.       RESPECT:

o   Be there for tip-off: Be mindful of time by kicking meetings off at the designated start time and properly pacing meetings to decrease the likelihood of any overtime.

o   Forget instant replays: Do not provide recaps every time someone joins a meeting late – stopping mid-stream severely handicaps a team’s momentum. Instead, note upfront that late participants should get notes after the meeting’s conclusion to keep things flowing.

o   Pay attention to the shot clock: At pre-determined intervals, recap progress and what’s left to cover as a team to ensure meeting is on track and progressing as planned. This will help you minimize the need for irregular time-outs that interrupt progress.

2.       ENGAGE: 

o   Get in the zone: Be a committed team player by giving 100% to the meeting and your role as a participant. Keep your eye on the ball and fingers off the keyboard, PDA and smartphone so you can truly listen and contribute.

o   Think outside the playbook: Make meetings fun and productive by having an arsenal of creative plays on your game plan to keep participants engaged. Kick things off with welcome music as participants step up to the plate and weave satirical videos and team building games in between agenda items to keep everyone at peak performance.

o   Be ready with a Hail Mary: Brainstorm getting desperate? Don’t be afraid to throw in some non-traditional, creative methods to keep fresh thinking going. Shots not falling? Have participants “phone-a-friend” to get outside perspectives when the group has hit a creative roadblock. Playing well but not seeing the results on the scoreboard? Have participants pass a ball of yarn to each participant when they speak and let the tangled web at the end demonstrates the team’s collective progress.

3.       CONNECT:

o   Be yourself – on and off the field:  The most successful teams thrive on camaraderie as much as skill. Make meetings with customers, vendors and employees more personal, genuine and successful by bringing personal experiences to professional interactions.

o   Focus on the season – not just one game: Business relationships should be treated as a marathon – not a sprint. Be sure to use meetings as an opportunity to build meaningful, long-term relationship, not just transact business and tackle immediate to-dos.

o   Remember it’s not the huddle, it’s what you do once you break: A truly successful meeting lays a good foundation for the greater task ahead so make sure the pre-game pep-talk and rally translate into performance on the field. Post-meeting, make sure specific action items are outlined, tasks are assigned and there is regular follow-up correspondence between participants to ensure your meeting strategy is a winning one.