011. How to Run a Meeting
"If they would only write things down in complete sentences we could cut the meeting in half."
As a technical leader, you know that meetings can be a necessary evil. They're essential for keeping everyone on the same page and moving projects forward, but they can also be a huge waste of time.
That's why it's important to run meetings that are focused, efficient, and productive. In this edition, we'll explore how to run a meeting that maximizes the value of everyone's time.
Half the work happens before the meeting starts
As a technical leader, you're responsible for making meetings useful and productive. One part of that is making sure everyone knows what to expect before the meeting even starts.
Create a clear agenda that outlines the purpose of the meeting, the topics to be discussed, and the desired outcomes. Share the agenda with your team in advance and encourage them to come prepared with their own ideas and questions. This allows you to spend valuable synchronous meeting time discussing your team members' input and coming to agreements.
By setting expectations upfront, you'll help ensure that the meeting is productive and that everyone is engaged and focused.
Curb the conversation
During the meeting, it's important to keep the conversation on track. As the technical leader, it's up to you to guide the conversation and make sure that everyone has an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas.
If someone raises a new topic that's not on the agenda, acknowledge it and suggest that it be addressed at a future meeting. If someone is monopolizing the conversation, politely interrupt and encourage others to speak up.
By keeping the conversation focused and efficient, you'll ensure that the meeting stays on track and that everyone's time is respected.
Make it concrete
At the end of the meeting, it's important to summarize the key points and action items. Ensure that everyone knows what their next steps are and who's responsible for what.
Follow up after the meeting with a summary of the action items and their due dates. Just like where you store your docs, share this summary in a place it will actually be seen and reviewed, instead of putting it out of sight and out of mind in the dusty corners of your team's wiki pages. This may mean linking it in your chat channel, sending it via email, or even presenting it at the next day's stand up meeting. This will help ensure that everyone stays on track and that progress is being made.
Take it to work today:
Before the meeting: Set a clear agenda and communicate it to your team members in advance. Encourage team members to come prepared with their own ideas and questions.
During the meeting: Keep the conversation focused and efficient. Write down new topics and suggest they be addressed at a future meeting. Politely interrupt if someone is monopolizing the conversation.
After the meeting: Summarize the key points and action items. Make sure everyone knows what their next steps are and follow up with a summary of the action items and their due dates.
Running a successful meeting is a key skill for any technical leader. By setting expectations upfront, guiding the conversation, and summarizing action items, you can maximize the value of everyone's time and keep projects moving forward.