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Meeting Guidelines

Meetings should be productive, not painful. Here's how we run effective meetings.

Meeting Principles

  1. Meetings are expensive - Respect everyone's time
  2. Async first - Could this be a document?
  3. Agenda required - No agenda, no meeting
  4. Outcomes focused - Every meeting needs a clear outcome
  5. Document decisions - If it's not written, it didn't happen

Before the Meeting

Do We Need This Meeting?

Ask yourself: - Could this be an email/Slack message? - Could this be a document with comments? - Is everyone necessary? - Is the timing right?

Meeting Checklist

  • Clear objective - What are we trying to achieve?
  • Right people - Who absolutely needs to be there?
  • Agenda shared - At least 24 hours before
  • Pre-read sent - Share context beforehand
  • Time appropriate - Consider time zones
  • Duration set - Default to 25 or 50 minutes

Meeting Types & Templates

1. Daily Standup (15 min)

Format: Round-robin Frequency: Daily Attendees: Team

Each person shares:
1. What I did yesterday
2. What I'm doing today
3. Any blockers

No problem-solving during standup!

2. Weekly Team Sync (45 min)

Format: Structured agenda Frequency: Weekly Attendees: Department/Team

Agenda:
- Wins from last week (5 min)
- Metrics review (10 min)
- Priority updates (15 min)
- Blockers & help needed (10 min)
- Announcements (5 min)

3. 1:1 Meeting (30 min)

Format: Conversation Frequency: Weekly/Bi-weekly Attendees: Manager + Report

Topics:
- How are you doing?
- Progress on goals
- Challenges/blockers
- Feedback both ways
- Career development
- Action items

4. Project Kickoff (60 min)

Format: Presentation + Discussion Frequency: Per project Attendees: Stakeholders

Agenda:
1. Project overview & goals (10 min)
2. Scope & requirements (15 min)
3. Timeline & milestones (10 min)
4. Roles & responsibilities (10 min)
5. Risks & mitigation (10 min)
6. Q&A (10 min)
7. Next steps (5 min)

5. Retrospective (60 min)

Format: Facilitated discussion Frequency: End of sprint/project Attendees: Team

Structure:
1. Set the stage (5 min)
2. Gather data - What happened? (15 min)
3. Generate insights - Why? (15 min)
4. Decide actions - What now? (20 min)
5. Close - Appreciation (5 min)

6. Decision Meeting (30-60 min)

Format: Structured decision-making Frequency: As needed Attendees: Decision makers + experts

Process:
1. Context & problem (10 min)
2. Options presented (15 min)
3. Discussion & questions (20 min)
4. Decision or next steps (10 min)
5. Document outcome (5 min)

During the Meeting

Meeting Roles

Facilitator (Required) - Keeps meeting on track - Manages time - Ensures everyone participates

Note-taker (Required) - Documents decisions - Captures action items - Shares notes after

Timekeeper (Optional) - Watches the clock - Gives time warnings - Keeps agenda moving

Meeting Etiquette

Do's ✅

  • Start on time
  • Follow the agenda
  • One conversation at a time
  • Respect different opinions
  • Stay present (close other tabs)
  • Speak up if confused
  • End on time

Don'ts ❌

  • No sidebar conversations
  • No multitasking
  • No dominating discussion
  • No personal attacks
  • No meeting hijacking
  • No going over time

Virtual Meeting Tips

  • Camera on for engagement (when possible)
  • Mute when not speaking
  • Raise hand feature for questions
  • Chat for links and side notes
  • Record for those absent
  • Screen share for clarity

After the Meeting

Within 24 Hours

  1. Send notes to all participants
  2. Document decisions in appropriate place
  3. Create tickets for action items
  4. Schedule follow-ups if needed
  5. Cancel recurring if no longer needed

Meeting Notes Template

# Meeting: [Title]
Date: YYYY-MM-DD
Attendees: @name1, @name2
Facilitator: @name
Notes: @name

## Objective
What we aimed to achieve

## Key Discussion Points
- Point 1
- Point 2

## Decisions Made
- Decision 1: [what was decided]
- Decision 2: [what was decided]

## Action Items
- [ ] Action 1 - @owner - Due: date
- [ ] Action 2 - @owner - Due: date

## Follow-up Required
- Next meeting scheduled for: date

Meeting Hygiene

Calendar Management

  • Block focus time
  • Add buffer between meetings
  • Set working hours
  • Decline unnecessary meetings
  • Propose async alternatives

Recurring Meeting Audit

Every quarter, review recurring meetings: - Is this still needed? - Right frequency? - Right duration? - Right attendees?

Meeting-Free Times

No Meeting Zones

  • Wednesday afternoons - Deep work
  • Friday afternoons - Wrap up week
  • Lunch hours - Personal time

Focus Blocks

  • Minimum 2-hour blocks
  • Mark as "Focus Time" in calendar
  • Slack status to "Do Not Disturb"

Special Situations

All-Hands Meeting

  • Monthly or quarterly
  • Record for async viewing
  • Q&A segment
  • Clear agenda sent ahead

Emergency Meetings

  • Rare and truly urgent
  • 5-minute Slack warning
  • Brief and focused
  • Follow up with documentation

Brainstorming Sessions

  • Divergent thinking first
  • No criticism during ideation
  • Time-boxed activities
  • Document all ideas
  • Converge at the end

Tools We Use

Purpose Tool
Video Calls Zoom/Google Meet
Scheduling Calendly/Google Calendar
Notes Notion/Google Docs
Whiteboard Miro/FigJam
Async Video Loom
Polls Slido/Poll Everywhere

Meeting Metrics

Track and improve: - Average meeting duration - Number of meetings per week - Meeting satisfaction scores - Action item completion rate - On-time start rate

FAQ

Q: Can I decline a meeting? A: Yes! Propose async alternative or send someone else.

Q: What if we run out of time? A: Stop at scheduled time. Schedule follow-up if needed.

Q: No agenda provided? A: Ask for one or decline the meeting.

Q: Too many people invited? A: Suggest a smaller group with notes shared after.

Remember

"The best meeting is the one that doesn't need to happen."

When in doubt, default to async. Your future self will thank you! 🙏