You will run a more effective meeting if you use the appropriate tools, and each meeting may require a different set of tools. If remote employees or contractors are involved, using web conferencing software is a good way to keep everyone on topic as you share your computer screen or even video during the meeting.

Whiteboards and flip charts are great aides to get ideas out and can also help to keep meetings on track. Note-taking software such as Evernote can be a good sidekick for you at any meeting since you can not only type in notes that can later be easily distributed, you can also record voice notes. I have also seen people using the LiveScribe pen, which looks like a regular pen but digitizes everything you write and can also record voice together with your notes. Laser pointers and remote clickers are good when presenting charts or slides.

And how about food? They are not tools per se, but can be of great help to get people engaged and focused. Serving some coffee and...