A recent survey about meetings, conducted by Princeton-based Opinion Research Corp., found that the number one complaint is "disorganized, rambling meetings". How do you keep your meetings out of the top ten? Use an agenda!

An agenda acts like a travel guide, letting meeting attendees know where they are going, how long it's going to take to get there, and what they need to bring along for the trip. The agenda should include the date, time, and location of the meeting. It should list the topics that will be covered, who has responsibility for the topics, and the amount of time allotted for each topic. By sending the agenda out ahead of time, you'll make sure everyone comes to the meeting prepared. And by using an agenda, you'll make sure your meeting doesn't ramble.

Next newsletter we'll look at another important meeting tool -- minutes.

If it's March it must be Women's History Month, as if one month could hold us. Here are a few of my random thoughts in honor of the month.  Looking for some interesting facts about women through history?  Check the Women's History Month page at Infoplease. There's lists of women achievers, timelines, quizzes, quotes, etc.

One of my favorite "herstorical" women is Gloria Steinem. In college I wore aviator-style glasses like hers; I had a charter subscription to MS Magazine. I finally met Steinem at the Women United in Philanthropy annual event this past October (and she autographed my Vol. 1, Issue 1 of MS!)  Steinem shared her thoughts on what we as women can do. She said, "Women's philanthropy is a catalyst for systemic change. . . We need to keep plucking people from the river, but a group needs to go to the head of the river and find out why they are falling in." And the statement that got the biggest laughs of the evening (as well as knowing nods) was "If nothing you do is right [according to others], you might as well do what you F****** want!"