Running Meetings That Work

Hello everyone, and thank you for joining.

Today I want to talk about something we all do, and most of us do badly, meetings.

I will share five simple ideas you can try this week.

The first idea is to start every meeting with a question, not a topic.

A topic like budget review invites everyone to talk.

A question like, should we move 10% of the budget to hiring, invites a decision.

Write the question at the top of the invitation so people arrive ready to answer it.

Second, invite fewer people and give each person a role.

Someone decides, a few people contribute, and one person takes notes.

If you cannot name a role for someone, they probably do not need to be there.

You can always send them the notes afterwards.

Third, set a time limit for each part of the meeting.

Work expands to fill the time available, and meetings are no exception.

Try 25 minutes instead of an hour.

You will be surprised how often it is enough.

Fourth, before anyone leaves, write down what was decided.

For each decision, note who will do what and by when.

If you cannot fill in those three things, nothing was really decided.

Read the list aloud at the end so everyone hears the same version.

Finally, if the meeting was recorded, spend five minutes reviewing it the next morning.

Skim the transcript, check the slides, and look for anything you missed.

It is the cheapest way to catch misunderstandings before they grow.

So, to summarize, start with a question, keep roles clear, set a time limit, write decisions down, and review the recording.

Try just one of these in your next meeting.

Thank you for listening.