The article focuses on ways of effective utilization of time in corporate meetings. The cost of meetings include lost productivity of those attending it as well as the money spent on it. The organizers of a meeting should keep in mind that the best way to keep the attendees interested is to involve them in the discussions during the meetings. Such involvement goes a long way in creating an atmosphere of trust between the employees and senior management. According to Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates, effective meetings are those which focus on a corporate strategy rather than discussing business statistics. For a meeting to be effective, its agenda should be clearly defined. Author Patrick M. Lencioni, in the book "Death by Meeting," says that an effective meeting has no substitute as far as utilizing the collective wisdom of a team is concerned. After a meeting is finished, those attending it should feel that the meeting has achieved the desired purpose and that they have contributed to the same.