How To Conduct Meetings
Small groups, with a structure, and some facilitation to ensure that everyone has a voice and gets value out of it.
EACH MEETING NEEDS A PURPOSE
Purpose police: someone who can get the meeting back on track if it diverges. A person always needs to be chairing the meeting. And topics will diverge and go on a tangent, these are a danger.
Sometimes when there are divergences, meet with someone after the meeting and get a double-check update.
MEETINGS ARE BOTH UNDERRATED AND OVERRATED AT THE SAME TIME
There is a perspective of disliking meetings, but this isnât acurate, because one of the main issues with big teams is that context is lost in written form updates.
The amount of clarity and alignment achieved over a short discussion can solve months of back and forths
Too many meetings wastes everyoneâs time. Too little and there is no intel being passed around.
A good meeting is worth it.
MEETINGS ARE ENJOYABLE WHEN THEY ARE RUN BY PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW TO DO IT.
HAVING GOOD MEETINGS
Connectiong with people as human beings. Start small. There is greatness is small beginnings.
Ask how they are. Howâs the day, what is everyones tiny wins.
Learn a thing or two by what they say or what they donât say and move on.
GOOD MEETING HOSTS ARE GREAT PEOPLE PERSONS
If you are extrovert and friendly, you will be good at hosting meetings. Same dynamics apply.
Practice the non violent communication method.
TIME SPANS
The calendar is a valuable friend. The more information that exists before and after the meeting the smoother it will go.
lower time span covered = shorter the meetings
An hour long meeting for a daily is too much, but an hour for the next 2 week sprint or backlog planningâs is reasonable.
HARD STOPS
meetings running over usually means that the meeting wasnât great.
If everything planned wasnât covered in the allotted time, it means that the prediction and estimation of the topics discussed needs to be improved.
Time is non linear
IT IS BETTER TO HAVE 2 30 MINS MEETINGS THAN 1 HOUR MEETING.
(if they are kept on topic and on track) peoples attention is limited.
you dont waste ONE HOUR, if there are 10 people you waste 10 hours, for a bad 1 hour meeting.
Always ask if everyones is needed on a call.
If others have higher priorities, let them attend those instead.
Also this is why there are reporting lines to funnel important information.
The most senior person doesnât always needs to lead. Having a rotation system might be an useful strategy to train others.
Theres the story of a consulting friend who was in a 9am briefing with the CTO of a billion dollar company. He was being briefed.
It is okay to have help, as long as everyone understands the purpose of the meeting.
TIME RESTRICTIONS ARE GOOD.
REMOTE MEETINGS
Meetings are more important now than ever.
different teams = different culture = different contexts
All cant be communicated through words. just look at how easily it is to misscomunicate with people who you feel closer with most.
Harmonious teams need more than just⌠words on a screen.
When booking one/one calls.
Quicker you solve problems. The more efficient the Process is. Be deliberated about other peoples attention span.
LEARN HOW TO MULTITASK
Its great to have mutliple screens and keep up correspondence with multiple people while paying attention on meetings.
There is a rhythm and flow of meetings. Learn how to understand the dynamics of active listening.
INTERVIEWS
If you are doing interview calls, having a script would help. Start and end on a high note.
- Starts on time
- Starts with good news
- Reporting mode
- Everything important is on track
- Numbers, scorecards
- priorities, big rocks
- happy people, stakeholders
- Any issue that needs to be discussed gets dropped down
- No discussion, no solving, just reporting
- Building the issues list
- Accountability with a todo list
- IDS, Focus on the most important issue,
- identify
- discuss
- solve
1- Good News 2- Reporting 3- Building Issues List (Identify) 4- Discuss 5- Solve (To do list) 6- Conclude the meeting with recap the do list 7- How was the meeting? Do you have any question