Get legal advice if you have any questions. Balance £200-500 for advice against £50,000 max unfair dismissal compensation! Phone lawyers and ask for advice on dismissal - sometimes possible over phone for a fee. Remember, sexual/racial discrimination compensation is unlimited, so always take legal advice if this might be alleged, whether or not it happened.

Plan your speech exactly and write out a script. It ensures you say everything necessary, and helps if you get stuck. There can be temptation to offer sympathetic/reassuring words to sweeten message. Unfortunately, kindness here can cause confusion and lead to legal action. Have a witness present - never fire one-to-one.

Stay calm - never act in anger. Even summary dismissal can be done after an hour to prepare and calm down. If employees lash out verbally/physically, don't respond. Get it right, and this is last time you will deal with them - they will no longer be your problem.

Be humane - treat people sympathetically if possible - without conveying anything positive about conduct/capability. They are losing their job and income. They are frightened, angry, upset, devastated - and you have to deal with it. Sympathise with their predicament without commenting on cause. Being calm and softly spoken can negate trauma. It also decreases unpleasantness - it's harder to abuse someone who is being nice to you.

Recommended action: ·Have a policy, publicised to all staff, and signed for receipt by all. ·Have policy legally checked by an expert. ·Always prepare. ·Remember way you terminate someone can be legally unfair, even if grounds are perfect.

Unhelpful behaviour needs controlling. People digress, ramble, don't pay attention, argue pointlessly, interrupt, even fall asleep! You owe it to others to take action. Be assertive - ask people politely to behave. If necessary, take a break for 5-10 minutes, and during it, take people to one side and privately deal with problem - ask them to be more considerate.

Tackle past problems head-on - take a few minutes at beginning of a meeting to lay down some ground rules, or have a private word with difficult people.

Poor chairmanship/control of meetings causes problems. Mischievous or bad-mannered people will misbehave if allowed - it's human nature. If leader doesn't control things properly, step in. You risk undermining their authority, but they might be grateful for help/support. In any event, your time is at stake!

Action required post-meeting is often unclear. Mixed messages mean several people duplicating time and effort, or things left undone. Be clear about who is doing what, by when, otherwise, next meeting can be pointless. Be clear - set objectives. Taking minutes, typing them up, and distributing them can be an unnecessary ritual. Only take minutes if necessary.

Learn from your mistakes. If you attend fruitless or badly-managed meetings, make apologies in future.

Recommended action: · Don't suffer in silence, take action. · Be ruthless with your time. Don't attend unnecessary meetings out of politeness. · You may have to make waves or undermine a meeting chairperson to improve things. Think of long-term benefits.