Meetings are the heartbeat of workplace collaboration, but when poorly executed, they can be counterproductive. From daily standups to detailed reviews and personal one-on-ones, each meeting type requires a different approach. By drawing insights from effective leaders and real-world scenarios, this guide provides actionable strategies to help you master the art of running impactful meetings.
Let's breakdown common questions and vetted practices for what makes meetings effective.
Meetings are a tool of communication and require thoughtful care, planning, and execution to get the most out of them. Have you ever been in a meeting where 1 - you didn't need to be there and 2 - you weren't sure what your take aways were?
In Agile and Standup culture, it is easy to take meetings for granted because they are held everyday, with a similar format, regardless of any new information or concerns.
Meeting for meeting sake are the soul crushing nightmare for most teams and yet the person calling/holding the meeting, generally walks away thinking everything was accomplished, with a self-congratulatory pat on the back.
This role of a Project Manager needs to have the tools, organization and drive to make sure that everyone's time is maximized.
Let's dive into the what and how to be prepared to maximize our time when a new meeting is called or whether it's a standing daily, weekly, or review.
Use this quick reference guide to navigate to your preferred topic.
What Are the 5 P’s of a Meeting?
The 5 P’s—Purpose, Participants, Process, Preparation, Productivity—are the building blocks of an effective meeting.
Insights from Leaders
Purpose: Jeff Bezos coined the "two-pizza rule" for meetings, emphasizing that every meeting should have a clear purpose and a manageable number of attendees. His meetings focused on identifying a single, actionable outcome.
Participants: Steve Jobs was known for only inviting people who were absolutely necessary to decision-making, once famously telling an Apple executive, “You don’t need to be here.”
Preparation: Winston Churchill was legendary for his prepared meeting briefs, ensuring discussions were informed and concise.
For example, Churchill's war meetings were meticulously structured, blending strategy with morale-boosting communication. His staff described his war cabinet meetings as “intense but decisive,” where key points were addressed with little room for deviation from the agenda. This structure allowed him to make high-stakes decisions under extraordinary pressure. These principles can still inform how modern leaders run effective meetings: focus on preparation, prioritize outcomes, and maintain a sense of urgency without unnecessary complexity
Speakers Institute, Timeless Lead
.
Scenario 1:
With Preparation: A manager sends out a detailed agenda outlining decisions to be made. The team comes prepared, and the meeting concludes early with actionable outcomes.
Without Preparation: The meeting derails into tangents, leading to confusion and requiring follow-up discussions.
Best Practices:
Use agenda templates for clarity (e.g., Canva.com templates, Standup Alice).
Limit participants to key decision-makers.
Have a pre-meeting briefing document.
How Do You Run a Meeting Effectively?
An effective meeting strikes the right balance between structure and flexibility.
Real-Life Example Agendas
Daily Standup:
Objective: Progress updates.
Format:
Yesterday’s achievements (5 mins)
Today’s focus (5 mins)
Blockers (5 mins)
Weekly Review:
Objective: Reflect on team performance and align on goals.
Format:
Wins of the week (10 mins)
Challenges and lessons (10 mins)
Next week’s priorities (15 mins)
One-on-One:
Objective: Build rapport and provide personalized guidance.
Format:
Personal wins (5 mins)
Career goals and feedback (10 mins)
Manager insights (5 mins)
Resources:
Check out Atlassian’s Team Playbook for meeting tips.
Harvard Business Review’s article, "How to Design an Agenda for an Effective Meeting," provides insights on prioritization.
Tools:
Standup Alice: Automates updates and meeting summaries for async and in house teams.
Trello/Notion: For agenda collaboration.
How to Conduct a Meeting: Step by Step
Preparation:
Define the meeting type. A creative brainstorming session requires a different setup than a status review.
Share resources beforehand. Leaders like Bill Gates emphasized reading prep materials in advance for efficiency.
Execution:
Start with a recap of goals.
Facilitate engagement. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt would often ask open-ended questions to spark dialogue.
Manage time strictly, like Elon Musk, who advocates leaving a meeting if it's not valuable.
Follow-Up:
Send minutes with action items.
Using tools like Calendy and integrate it with Standup Alice can create a seamless checkin and follow up structure that will boost productivity and performance satisfaction.
How to Structure a Meeting
A well-structured meeting is like a story—it has a beginning, middle, and end.
Scenario:
Scrum Standups: Originally developed in Agile software development, standups are short, daily updates aimed at transparency. The key is brevity and focus. By standing up during meetings (as Agile teams often do), participants feel encouraged to keep discussions brief and on point.
Structure Ideas:
Timeboxing: Allocate specific durations to each agenda item.
Thematic Grouping: Group similar topics to avoid switching contexts.
For remote teams, tools like Miro for collaboration and Standup Alice for asynchronous check-ins enhance effectiveness.
What Is the Best Meeting Layout?
Physical and virtual layouts can significantly impact engagement.
Roundtable Setup: Encourages equality and open dialogue.
Presentation Style: Useful for leadership updates or training.
Hybrid: Use breakout rooms for focused discussions.
Example from Remote Teams: At Shopify, hybrid meetings mix async preparation (reading shared documents) with live discussions, reducing meeting times by 50%.
How to Do a Meeting Agenda
The agenda is the spine of your meeting.
Example Agenda Formats
Brainstorming Session:
Intro and rules (5 mins).
Idea generation (20 mins).
Narrow down and assign tasks (10 mins).
Project Kickoff:
Welcome and project overview (10 mins).
Roles and responsibilities (15 mins).
Timeline review and next steps (15 mins).
Templates:
Here are some free resources for creating/using agendas.
Checklist for an Effective Meeting
Here’s your go-to checklist to ensure every meeting runs smoothly:
Pre-Meeting:
Share an agenda 24 hours in advance.
Assign roles (facilitator, timekeeper, note-taker).
During the Meeting:
Stick to the agenda.
Manage time effectively.
Post-Meeting:
Share a summary with action points.
Collect feedback.
Case Study: Pixar’s Braintrust Meetings
Pixar’s success lies in their “Braintrust” process, where meetings focus on constructive feedback. The facilitator ensures a balance between critique and actionable next steps, highlighting the importance of preparation and open dialogue.
When to Schedule Different Types of Meetings
Daily Standups: For teams needing frequent updates (e.g., development teams).
Weekly Reviews: For goal alignment and feedback.
One-on-Ones: Best for mentorship and personal development.
Quarterly Strategy Meetings: Focus on long-term planning.
Conclusion
Effective meetings don’t just happen—they’re designed. With preparation, clear goals, and the right tools like Standup Alice, you can transform meetings into productive, engaging sessions.
Share your comments about you leadership styles. How do you prepare to lead or contribute to effective workplace communication with agenda preparation, motivation, or a healthy dose of winging it?
Additional Resources:
Harvard Business Review: "Stop Wasting Time in Meetings."
Trello’s Blog: "The Secret to Better Team Meetings."