Do you have to attend meetings that suck? If so, you are not alone. Businesses and organizations in the U.S. hold 11 MILLION meetings a day and 55 MILLION each week. Yet, research shows that over 50% of the time spent in meetings is considered wasted or unproductive by the attendees. An estimated $37B a year is lost due to unproductive meetings. In this week’s episode, Mary & Chris use their combined 40 years of experience as professional facilitators to answer listeners’ questions about how to create productive and positive meetings. In this episode we hear from:First Time Facilitator in Fremont has been tasked with leading her team’s meeting and seeks some advice to make them more effective and interesting.Seeking Consensus in Connecticut must lead meetings with people who incessantly argue during meetings. The participants in her meetings tend to be very spirited (read argumentative) and a bit intransigent in their opinions. All too often, her meetings devolve into a standoff of opinions. How can she facilitate this conflict into productive conversations?Care to Join Us in California is frustrated by team members who consistently “check out” during meetings. What can they do to get people more engaged in their meetings?Need tips to run a better meeting? Email us to receive a free copy of “Make Your Meetings Matter: 12 Essential Building Blocks to Effective Meetings” We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: info@cubicleconfidential.com or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1.  All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn or Twitter!