If you meant a template to "drive the meeting". They are different for different meetings for me.
In fact for most meetings, I will only have a "template" for the start. The middle section is kind of free flowing. Though I remember a list of things to watch out for eg: catch if we are going in circles, catch if I commit too early, or remember to reframe the question, etc.
Nice read! I prefer to make the most of asynchronous work and meetings whenever possible. I prefer brain writing before brainstorming whenever possible.
Fair, every person is different. For me, previously I used to want a lot of self thinking time before brainstorming but now I can do with less. That helps with many ambiguous discussions.
Great post. Not sure about 3 though. Those meetings tend to be too expensive for what they're trying to achieve in my experience. Any thoughts on achieving a "good enough" result with cheaper methods like async updates paired with a slack channel for example?
I see a lot of value when we kick off something and we are in the early stages.
Once there is a rhythm, we don’t need that meeting as much. Absence of good status updates or discussion topics is a good indicator. I either dial down the frequency or switch to something offline. Also I don’t hesitate to re-schedule it once we are in a new busy mode.
Love these quick how-to guides, Raviraj.
I'm curious, do you use separate templates for each of these to run the meeting agenda or have a standard one that works across the board?
By the way, thanks for the mention in your shout-outs!
If you meant a template to "drive the meeting". They are different for different meetings for me.
In fact for most meetings, I will only have a "template" for the start. The middle section is kind of free flowing. Though I remember a list of things to watch out for eg: catch if we are going in circles, catch if I commit too early, or remember to reframe the question, etc.
Nice read! I prefer to make the most of asynchronous work and meetings whenever possible. I prefer brain writing before brainstorming whenever possible.
Fair, every person is different. For me, previously I used to want a lot of self thinking time before brainstorming but now I can do with less. That helps with many ambiguous discussions.
Where would design review syncs fit in?
I dropped it from the list as it was kinda similar to #2 and there is a lot more background work that is covered here https://newsletter.techleadmentor.com/p/fearing-opinionated-voices-in-design.
Also there are more meetings types for Part 2 if there is interest and it can go there.
Great post. Not sure about 3 though. Those meetings tend to be too expensive for what they're trying to achieve in my experience. Any thoughts on achieving a "good enough" result with cheaper methods like async updates paired with a slack channel for example?
Glad it resonated.
About #3
I see a lot of value when we kick off something and we are in the early stages.
Once there is a rhythm, we don’t need that meeting as much. Absence of good status updates or discussion topics is a good indicator. I either dial down the frequency or switch to something offline. Also I don’t hesitate to re-schedule it once we are in a new busy mode.
This is amazing Raviraj!
I think meetings get a bad rep for the same reason remote work is considered ineffective by some.
People weren't educated to conduct these things effectively. Resources like these help!
Thanks for the cheat sheet!
Thank you for the addition. I like the comparison.
Great list! Meeting efficiency and effectiveness is an invaluable skill that everyone can work to improve.