Whether you’re the leader of a meeting or an attendee, you can take steps to make the experience more productive and useful. This 20-page PDF from TechRepublic Premium contains plenty of tips and advice that will help.

From the guide:

TIPS FOR TURNING USELESS MEETINGS INTO PRODUCTIVE ONES

A quick survey of Amazon reveals hundreds of books purporting to help manage meetings. The vast majority do, in fact, contain good ideas if you initiated the meeting, have the ability to set its agenda and possess the social skills to keep all the attendees focused. However, we all must occasionally attend meetings we do not control. What do we do in those meetings, especially when they go awry? The following tips will help you make each meeting an effective, interesting experience.

KNOW WHY THE ORGANIZER CALLED THE MEETING

The idea of a meeting agenda seems almost quaint in this era of too much email and not enough time. When an actual agenda makes an appearance, it quickly breaks down as participants meander in a variety of unplanned directions.

Do not wait for an agenda. Instead, take a moment to contact the meeting organizer before the meeting. Ask them to explain to you, in 10 words or fewer, what they want from the meeting. Once you know what they want, you can help them achieve it.

In this case, forewarned is forearmed.

Previously priced at $49, this is now available to download for $29.