My first two jobs had crazy approaches to meetings:
Job #1 = Super time consuming meetings over 2 hours each.
- Format: Daily meeting where the whole department would โcheck in.โ
- Start Time: 7:30 am
- People Involved: 30+ ๐
- Frustration Level: Aggghhh ๐คฎ
Job #2 = Zero communication
- Format: Random meetings every few months, no structure
- Start Time: ????
- People Involved: 2-3
- Frustration Level: Aggghhh
Meetings donโt have to be extremes like my examples, though.
If you plan them right, meetings are essential communication tools that keep everyone happy and make sure projects develop efficiently.
Here are a few ways you can prep and run meetings the right way.
ย
#1) Does this even need to be a meeting?
Some people make the mistake of only communicating during face-to-face meetings.
But these days weโve got the tools to handle most of our communication without needing to meet in person or via video calls.
If you do it right, that means youโll only have to meet for the essentials. Actual โliveโ meetings can be laser-focused and efficient, productive uses of your time.
Hereโs the communication stack I use and how I split it by โtaskโ.
ย

Tool: Slack
What itโs good for: โQuickโ messaging
Examples:
- Checking in with teammates if thereโs a technical issue that needs quick action
- Sharing links ahead of or during a call
- Asking little questions that your colleagues can answer in 30 seconds
ย

Tool: Email
What itโs good for: โBigโ deliveries
Examples:
- Pitching a project
- Delivering a project summary
- Sending out monthly notes to team members
ย

Tool: Hangouts / Zoom / Skype
What itโs good for: Focused, 10-45 minute talks
Examples:
- Brainstorming sessions
- Live coworking, like reviewing the latest version of a website
- Interviews
If youโve got a question that can be answered in 30 seconds, use a messaging tool like Slack.
If youโve got a big milestone to report, deliver it with an email.
If the issue is more complex and needs a real conversation, set up a meeting.
ย
#2) Make sure everyone knows the right place and the right time.
The quickest way to screw up a meeting is to be unclear about when and where itโll take place.
This sounds really simple...but people still get this wrong all the time.
When youโre speaking with people in different time zones, it can get a little confusing.
Plus, with all the different communication options, itโs easy to forget whether youโre supposed to be using Zoom, Hangouts, or some other software tool.
The good news is that thereโs a really easy solution to make sure your scheduling is always clear - Google Calendar!
There are a ton of scheduling services out there but nothing beats Google Calendar.
Itโs great because:
- It automatically shows everyone the meeting time in their respective time zones
- Itโs got all the info (time, venue, software, notes) in one easy place
- Most people have access to a Gmail / Google account
- Itโs free
If you find yourself or your team juggling different tools, just pull it all back to a simple Google Calendar event. Itโll save you time and itโs the easiest way to get everyone on the same page.
ย
#3) Give the meeting a clear, specific purpose
Without a purpose, youโre just meeting for the sake of meeting. Whatโs the point?
You need a clear goal for every meeting, even if itโs a really simple one.
If you go the extra mile and actually create an agenda, youโll stick to the script and get to your goal quickly and efficiently.
โHave an agendaโ is pretty basic advice but youโd be surprised how many people just donโt bother with it.
That opens you up to forgetting key details, getting sidetracked, and generally being messy where you could be productive.
I think the best way to do this is in your meeting invitation. Whether itโs a Google Calendar invite or just a simple email, here are a few messages you can send thatโll make every meeting clear and keep everyone sticking to the same script:
Just follow this format:
โHey [NAME], letโs meet at [TIME] to discuss [THING]. Iโd like to establish [GOAL]โ
Iโd like to meet with you (Bob, Sue, and Joe) to kick off the Shopify project and set a timeline together.
You should see a Hangouts invite via Google Calendar in each of your work inboxes. Itโll be at 10 am EST next Monday.
Iโve blocked off an hour so plan accordingly.
Speak to you then!โ
ย
Hereโs the invite for our quarterly meeting: [LINK].
Iโm planning on a brief check-in (30 minutes total) with each team member (itโll be just the 5 of us on the call), followed by Sharonโs breakdown of last quarterโs sales numbers (60 minutes). Weโll then wrap with a few specific goals Iโd like each of you working towards (15 minutes).
See you all at 1 pm in the Zoom room on Tuesday!โ
ย
Are you both free to speak this Friday @ noon EST?
Iโm delivering the project next week and Iโve got two โbigโ edits to work through with you both. Specifically:
- Issue X
- Issue Y
Send me a quick confirmation and Iโll set it up.โ
ย
#4.) Invite (only) the right people
Most meetings and conference calls have too many people attending.
When too many people are present, it creates so many issues.
- Crosstalk becomes distracting and confusing
- Shy people clam up
- It takes forever to get through the meeting
- Different people try pushing different agendas
The only question you should be asking yourself is:
โWho actually needs to be here?โ
Figure out whoโs essential for the meeting and only invite them.
A focused 3-person team can get more done in 20 minutes than a department-wide โall-hands on deckโ session.
If youโve built your meeting agenda around a focused goal, then the meeting roster should be pretty obvious. Donโt be tempted to pull in more people just because it feels important.
ย
#5.) Choose ONE person to lead the meeting
Role-setting is a big dealโฆitโs just as important as having a clear purpose.
Without structure, most meetings will devolve into confusion and very low ROI results.
You can avoid this by assigning one clear leader per meeting.
The best meeting leaders are like emcees. They lead a group through a series of speakers and consistently speak up between โpresentationsโ to make sure everything is clear and everyone is on board.
Meeting leaders donโt necessarily have to be the boss or the senior team member. Itโs just a temporary hat to wear so that one person is in control and can keep the conversation running smoothly towards a focused goal.
If youโre not sure whether itโs clear whoโs going to lead the meeting, include it in the invitation email. (This is extra helpful for junior staff members when they โleadโ for the first time).
You can say add these clauses to the โinvitation templatesโ above in section 2:
โ...P.S. Weโre going to have our summer intern, Lenny, run the meeting. Please respect this format (Iโll be supervising)โ
โ ....hereโs how Iโm planning to set up the meeting:
- Leader: Me
- Notes: Joe
- Presenter: June
- Everyone else: Rick, Diana?
ย
#6.) Delegate note-taking to one person (or software)
This oneโs a little controversial, but Iโm a big believer in paying attention to whatโs being said.
For example, back in college and high school I always found that I performed best and retained information when I didnโt take notes during a lecture. If I paid attention and asked โliveโ questions, I saw things more clearly (and remembered them better).
I still recorded took notes - but post-session. Iโd either record lectures myself or download them from my universityโs intranet database, then do the analysis.
Iโve got the same approach to meetings.
I think they flow much more smoothly when the participants are fully engaged in the conversation. You can still take notes - I keep a blank page ready to go if necessary - but I prefer to talk and ask my way through meetings instead of trying to jot down every detail.
I do note down important elements like dates, names, and big ideasโฆ.but aside from those, Iโm not a big notetaker.
If Iโm on an important call I know is going to be packed with info (like an interview with a clientโs customer) Iโll ask the other party if I can record the call privately. In the last two years Iโve never gotten a โnoโ, and I end up with deeper, smoother conversations that I can reference for as long as I need.
To do this, I carry a handheld recorder around for in-person meetings and interviews and I use Loom for Zoom and Hangout call recordings.
If youโve never tried it, give it a shot - itโll improve the quality of your meetings, whether theyโre face-to-face or via a video call.
ย
#7.) Spend the last 2 minutes of the meeting on next steps
How you end your meetings is even more important than how you start.
The worst thing is when youโve spent an hour speaking about a complex subject, feel good, hang upโฆ..and then realize you have no clue what to do next!
(this happens all the time)
Itโs a result of a meeting that lacks structure - see a common theme here?
Goals and agendas are vital, but theyโre on thin ice without a wrap-up session.
Thatโs why you should spend the last 2-10 minutes of every meeting reviewing what was said and whoโs going to do what next.
This applies to every type of meeting:
- Job interviews
- Masterminds + accountability talks
- Project management meetings
- Performance reviews
If youโre not wrapping up, youโre not creating โnext stepsโ.
A meeting is meant to be a fluid thing that moves the participants from A to B. Assignments and next steps are vital - otherwise, you didnโt have a meeting, you just had a conversation.
It shouldnโt be complicated.
As soon as youโve covered all the agenda items, move on to assignments.
Each participantโs โnext stepsโ should be summarized in one line. Make it simple and make sure everyone is clear about what theyโre supposed to do and when itโs expected.
Jim, we agreed youโre going to work on the homepage next and have a live page up by next Friday. Yes?
Bob, youโre going to get the next article published by Friday, right?
Jen, youโre going to pitch the project to leads X, Y, and Z next Thursday? Does that work?
Andyโs next step: interview the job candidates and hire someone by the 31st.
ย
#8.) Make the meeting notes available to the participants
Having notes and clear tasks is great, but theyโve got to be easy to find and use.
One way to do this is to send out a traditional memo or โmeeting notesโ email to everyone. Hereโs a handy guide to writing effective memos (ie ones that are actually going to get read).
If youโre working with a remote team, I like using a shared Google Drive folder to keep meeting notes / memos. Itโs a lot like the email option, but I think itโs a little neater and easier to refer to.
However you send them, hereโs the format I use for meeting notes:
ย
Ready to plan your next business meeting?
If you plan them correctly, business meetings are easy, productive, positive experiences.
With the right structure, everyone will show up on time and know exactly whatโs expected of them. By the end of the meeting theyโll leave knowing what to do next.
Hereโs a quick breakdown of the steps you can take to plan and run meetings the right way:
ย
Sincerely,
Recommended Comments