Meetings course: efficient and results-oriented
A practical course in which you learn how to make meetings shorter, sharper and more results-oriented, both as chair and as participant.
NRTO quality markFree cancellation up to four weeks before the start, so feel free to book now.
In brief. Meetings: Efficient and Results-Oriented is a 1-day classroom course. You can take it in Amsterdam and The Hague or online, in a group of no more than 8 participants. The price is € 625,- excl. VAT per participant, including course materials, lunch on location and a certificate of attendance. We also run this course for a team or department in-company.
- Tighter meetings, less wasted time
- Practising with your own real-life situations
- Control over the agenda, chairing and follow-up
- Small group and an experienced trainer
- Applicable from the next working day
Your trainer: Mieke, Rob, Garbrand or Ruben Samen 832 evaluaties, gemiddeld een 8,6. View the trainers
Work consultations, departmental meetings, steering groups: meetings take up a lot of time, and that time has to deliver something. In this course you learn how to make that happen.
Description
Meetings are needed to keep collaboration running smoothly and to keep everyone aligned. But when the agenda overruns, discussions go round in circles or decisions are not followed up, the meeting achieves little. A well-run meeting saves time, money and frustration.
In this course you look at the entire cycle surrounding a meeting. You learn how to draw up an agenda that works, how to take control as chair without stifling the contributions of others, and how to deal with difficult situations. Body language is also covered, because the posture of participants often says more than their words.
You practise with concrete situations from your own working life and are given tools you can use the very next working day. Afterwards you will know how to keep a meeting short, focused and constructive.
Topics
- Drawing up a meeting checklist
- Determining the objective of the meeting
- Types of meetings and choosing the right format
- Timing, frequency and choice of participants
- Using the agenda as a guide
- Leading the meeting: from opening to any other business
- Conversation techniques and chairing
- Tasks of the chair and the participants
- Recognising and making use of roles in a meeting
- Dealing with difficult situations and difficult participants
- Giving feedback during the meeting
- Taking minutes and managing action points
- Reading and using body language
- Progress check afterwards
Result
After this training course you put meetings together with a clear purpose and know which format suits which aim. You keep the agenda tight, lead the discussion with an overview and deal effectively with difficult participants or discussions that have stalled. You recognise roles and body language within the group, give feedback where it helps and make sure decisions and action points are followed up.
Target audience
This training course is suitable for anyone who regularly attends or chairs meetings and wants to get more structure and results out of them. Think of chairpersons, project leaders, team leaders, managers, secretaries and participants in work meetings, departmental meetings or steering groups.
Teaching method
The training course alternates theory with practice and reflection. You work with situations from your own practice and experiment with new behaviour, so that you notice what effect it has. The group is small, which leaves room for personal attention and feedback from the trainer and other participants. You decide for yourself what you take back to your work.
Prior knowledge
No prior knowledge is required. It is useful, however, if you attend meetings regularly, so that you can put what you have learnt straight into practice.
Comments
The content may vary slightly from group to group. In an intake beforehand we take stock of learning objectives and practical experience, so that the course matches them.
Practical information
- Number of days
- 1 day
- Course times
- from 10 am to 5 pm
- Teaching hours
- 6 hours
- Education level
- Suitable for all levels
- Preparation time
- None
- Included
- Course materials and lunch on site
- Certificate
- At the end of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance
- Cancel
- Free up to four weeks before the start (cancellation terms)
Language
The course is given in Dutch as standard. The trainer speaks English. English-language course materials can be used. If at least 3 participants register, the course can also be given entirely in English.
In-company
Would you like to organise this training for a whole group or several groups? This can be cost-effective. For example, we can tailor the content entirely to your organisation, and training a whole group is also cheaper.
Are you looking at large numbers of participants or a complete academy? That involves a great deal. Consider planning and communication, for example, or identifying and agreeing the objectives and content of the training. Or differences in level, feedback mechanisms and safeguarding. Fortunately, Learnit has extensive experience in this field (more than 25 years) and we are happy to help you through this process.
Request a quote More about Meetings: Efficient and Results-oriented in-company
All start dates
1 training day. In order of date.
- Tue 22 December 2026 Amsterdam · 10:00–17:00Free cancellation until 24 November Enrol
- Tue 22 December 2026 Online · 10:00–17:00Free cancellation until 24 November Enrol
- Tue 24 August 2027 The Hague · 10:00–17:00Free cancellation until 27 July Enrol
No suitable start date? Send us a date request, and we'll look at the options together.
This course for your team?
Plan your own group on a date that suits you, at your office, at our premises or online. We tailor the content to your day-to-day work, and training a whole group is cheaper than individual bookings.
- Your date and location
- Tailored content
- Multiple groups or an academy are also possible
- More than 25 years' experience
The trainers for this course
Ratings from participants after completing their course, across all courses by this trainer.
Mieke
Trainer in conversation techniques and train-the-trainer 8,8 from 386 evaluations
Rob
Trainer in communication and leadership 8,6 from 346 evaluations
Garbrand
Trainer in communication skills and leadership 7,8 uit 85 evaluaties
Ruben
Trainer in project management, change management and lean 8,2What others say about this course
Meetings: Efficient and Results-Oriented course: average 8.1 from 16 reviews
“In this practical course I was able to practise the suggestions for improvement right away. Highly recommended!”
"The course has given me more insight into results-oriented meetings. This was down to the scope I was given to discuss and try out individual issues around meetings. Thanks in part to the trainer and fellow participants, this was a special and valuable day."
"Professional, as you would expect from this kind of organisation. Excellent and recommended for people who struggle with problems during meetings."
“The trainer has a great deal of expertise, switches and improvises well, is flexible, gives attention to all participants and values every contribution, draws out the essence, knows how to provide structure and regularly refers back to the objectives. A pleasant personality.”
“Your personal learning objectives are clearly discussed and noted beforehand. In addition, you are given various tips and tricks during the course that you can apply directly in practice.”
"Thank you for a very practical training course with plenty of applicable techniques. I'm going to chair my meetings with a fresh outlook and new techniques!"
“The Efficient Meetings training course can help you break out of the meeting rut. During the course you learn to look critically at your own meetings and you learn practical matters such as how to structure an agenda item and how to keep the agenda on track.”
“I found the Efficient Meetings course highly instructive. You take home good reference material, containing practical examples and plenty of useful tips and tricks. Definitely recommended for people who want to learn the ins and outs of chairing meetings as efficiently as possible. From drawing up the agenda to the final report, but also how to act in difficult situations, time management, action lists and presentation techniques.”
“Very clear course offering tools that can be applied in practice straight away.”
“Very instructive training course, good structure of the topics and good interaction. Good transition from theory to role-play.”
“Interactive and instructive course!”
“Enjoyable course in a relaxed atmosphere. Nothing is compulsory and everything is possible, but always within the learning objectives.”
“A course with plenty of practical tips and varied exercises in a pleasant atmosphere.”
“The training course met the expectations I had. The theory, followed by role-play and reviewing the recordings on the monitor, set out the topics clearly. Before the course the trainer contacted me, with the result that the points from this interview received extra attention.”
"Interesting course with a good balance between theory and practice. Above all a very professional and likeable trainer."
“Excellent, everything was great!”
“A surprising course in which, alongside efficient meetings, you also gain more insight into the effectiveness of the role you have or take on within your team, and in a safe environment you can practise what happens when you take on a different role.”
“The Efficient Meetings course will certainly help our department's meetings to run more smoothly. It provides tools not only for meetings but also for better communication within the department in general.”
“Excellent training course with do's and don'ts that are very usable in practice, given by a trainer who knows the subject.”
“I gained a lot of insight into the do's and don'ts of a meeting. Drawing up a clear agenda with objectives was very illuminating, and I was able to apply this straight away in my next team meeting.”
Training formats
Classroom
1 day€ 625,-- Pleasant venue with a good trainer
- Small groups
- Inspiring and motivating
In-company
Bespoke trainingOn request- 100% for your group
- Bespoke training
- At your place or ours
Workshop
Up to 4 hours for groupsOn request- Suitable for events
- Interactive and inspiring
- Large groups too
Private training
At our place or yoursOn request- 100% just for you
- Achieve a lot in little time
- Whenever you want
Frequently asked questions
Can I cancel free of charge?
Yes. Up to four weeks before the first day of the course you can cancel free of charge, without giving a reason. You then receive a credit note or, if you have already paid, a refund. If you cancel later, you pay part of the course fee: 25% between four and two weeks before the start, 75% in the two weeks before it and 100% in the final week. Moving to another start date is free of charge up to two weeks before the start, after that 50%. Sending a colleague in your place is always possible. Read the cancellation terms.
Who is the Meetings course suitable for?
The course is suitable for anyone who regularly attends or chairs meetings. Think of chairpersons, team leaders, project leaders, managers, secretaries and participants in work meetings, departmental meetings or steering groups who want to get more structure and results out of their meetings.
Do I need prior knowledge to take this course?
No, no prior knowledge is required. It does help if you regularly attend or chair meetings, so that you can apply what you learn directly in your own practice.
What will I learn during this course?
You learn how to prepare, lead and follow up meetings. Topics include determining the purpose and type of meeting, drawing up a workable agenda, conversation techniques, recognising roles, dealing with difficult participants, body language, giving feedback and making sure action points are followed up.
Do I receive a certificate on completion?
Yes, afterwards you will receive a Learnit certificate of attendance as proof that you have followed the course.
What does a course day look like?
A course day alternates between theory, practice and reflection. You work a great deal with situations from your own practice and practise new behaviour in a small group. The trainer gives personal feedback and adapts the pace to the group.
Can I also take this training course in-company?
Yes, this course can also be booked in-company or as a bespoke programme. We then tailor the content to the meeting culture and learning objectives of your team or organisation. Contact us for a quotation on request.
How do I make a meeting shorter without losing information?
Start with the objective: do you know why you are holding this meeting and what you want to have decided or shared by the end? Choose a meeting format that fits that objective, put only those topics on the agenda that genuinely require joint discussion, and give each agenda item a time indication. Updates that could just as well be sent by email do not belong in the meeting. In the course you practise making these choices.
What do I do if one participant keeps dominating the meeting?
As a chairperson, you are entitled to steer. Explicitly give the floor to others, summarise what the dominant participant has said and park side issues in a separate list. Agree a few ground rules at the start about speaking time and respect for each other's contributions. During the course you practise with situations like these so that you can handle them calmly and without confrontation.
How do I make sure that decisions from the meeting are actually followed up?
Record every decision with an owner, a concrete action and a deadline. Circulate the action list shortly after the meeting and put a brief check on outstanding items at the top of the next meeting's agenda. This way, follow-up becomes part of the meeting cycle and agreements don't end up in a drawer.
What is the difference between an informative, a decision-making and a brainstorming meeting?
An informative meeting shares knowledge or the state of affairs. A decision-making meeting works towards a choice that is supported by the group. A brainstorm gathers as many ideas as possible without judging them straight away. Each type calls for different preparation, a different agenda and different chairing. During the course you learn to recognise which format suits which purpose.
What does body language say in a meeting and how do I use it?
Participants' body language often reveals their opinion before they say anything. Leaning back, looking away or crossed arms can indicate disengagement or resistance. As chair, you can respond by explicitly inviting someone to speak or calling a short break. On this course you learn to read these signals and to use your own body language deliberately.
How much does the Meetings course cost?
You can find the current price at the top right of this course page, along with the schedule, location and delivery format. For in-company or bespoke courses we are happy to provide a quotation on request.
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Next start date: Tue 22 December 2026 in Amsterdam, also available online
Free cancellation up to four weeks before the start, so you can secure a place now.