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Meetings

Template

Make meetings matter.

Meetings should be no longer than 30 minutes duration. Before any meeting:

  1. Re-read the agenda first (allow 5 mins)
  2. Someone must record minutes
  3. Agree delegated actions for next meeting

Meetings without minutes are parties.

Mantra

If it isn't written down it didn't happen.

Context​

Purpose​

  1. Exploration
  2. Debate
  3. Decision

Exploration​

Information-sharing, the agenda outlines topics to be covered, but additional topics can be covered during Q&A.

  • Attendees: Open-ended attendance with one-way communication from the meeting host presenting information with Q&A to follow.
  • Outcome: Awareness.

Debate​

Agenda identifies topics for discussion.

  • Attendees: Invite a maximum of 15 with open discussion between all participants
  • Outcome: Shared perspectives.

Decision​

Commit your bets on future actions to focus commitment. No decision identified? No purpose having a meeting.

  • Attendees: Only people that have authority to make decision are in attendance and have clarity that they have the authority to decide. Invite 3 to 7 attendees.
  • Outcome:
    1. dedicated resources agreed, time, money, assets
    2. a flowchart documenting logic for decision journal
    3. universal documented commitment to agreed action

Preparation​

Send the meeting agenda in advance explaining the reason for the meeting and identify the decision(s) and expected outcomes to come from the meeting.

Provide materials that minimizes the need for information-transfer during meetings, saving time and better preparing collaborators to achieve desired outcomes of the agenda.

Before requesting a meeting ask:

  • Can I send message to request desired input or action instead?
  • If not, add reasoning why is a meeting important in the invite.

Before confirming attendance ask:

  • What will I gain that I can't gather via meeting notes or recording?
  • Is there anything specific only I can contribute?

Taking Minutes​

Effective note-taking is critical due to the fast paced nature of meetings. Your system must be organised and efficienct, to recap next steps and commitments at the end of the meeting, and capture key information.

Template to Capture Meeting Notes

Use boxes to provide quick context checks for topic of exploration. Pen and paper over digital tools when interacting with clients to focus on engagement. Have a system to capture tangential insights and questions to be followed up on later. A recommended note-taking system includes the following components:

  • Date and title of the meeting at the top, along with a list of participants.
  • A sketch of the seating arrangement, to help jog memory.
  • General notes from the meeting are taken on the top half of the paper.
  • To-dos are divided into sections for yourself, your firm, and the client, and placed on the bottom quarter.
  • The middle of the page is dedicated to meeting-specific objectives or key ideas.

Before entering a meeting, you should know what you want to get out of it. This could be specific data, ideas, commitments, etc.

Best Practices​

Review checklist:

  • Prepare for the meeting by defining your objectives.
  • Create a system for note-taking that categorizes information effectively.
  • Use your note-taking system consistently for it to be most effective.
  • Recap the meeting and commitments at the end for clarity and confirmation.
  • Use pen and paper for note-taking to focusing on engagement.
  • Practice reflective listening
  • ask questions to clarify understanding.
  • pay attention to non-verbal communication.

Follow Up​

Debrief after the meeting to firm up perpectives and reach consensus view on key takeaways, then convert that into digital format.

Map meeting notes to JTBD Stories for standardised analysis.

Communicate outcomes of meetings along with impact on roles and processes.

Commitment​

People bring their own motivations to meetings and irm agreements during a meeting often become maybes in the following days and weeks.

Agreements and the meeting the arised from, only matter if agreements are implemented, you can use bets to secure commitment. Note that bets can be made in fun.

To help ensure agreements a followed up on, make sure the process forward is clearly mapped out with required efforts understood and appreciated by all.

Mantra

Continously evolve best practices for capturing actionable insights at a meeting.