Your eyelids are growing heavy, your head is starting to dip, and even though you've been hearing everything said in the room, you're not sure what any of it even means. You're locked in an endless meeting, the kind that eats up half your day with absolutely nothing to show for it.

The sad fact is that, for many in the corporate world, this kind of event is all too familiar. Somehow, despite spending hours talking, nothing actually gets done. How can we avoid this? An article in The Harvard Business Review lays out some suggestions. While the piece goes into things in more detail, tips for a more effective meeting include: 

* Come prepared; 
* set boundaries; 
* trust your gut, go public, check with the group; 
* restate the less-than-obvious; 
* ask the question no one's asking; 
* spot the weeds; and 
* clarify responsibilities at the end.