Core rules for Effective Meetings

According to PMI, project managers spend up to 90% of their time in communications. Since 2020, we've had to adapt to the world of remote work where every communication has transformed into a meeting. For many managers, this means spending a significant part of the workday in video conferencing tools. Sitting at the computer all day is challenging, but the most critical aspect is the result. It's frustrating when meetings lead to even more meetings without meaningful outcomes. No wonder "Zoom fatigue," or "meetings fatigue," has become a trend.

Holding productive and engaging meetings isn't always easy. Consider the 2014 YouTube comedy video "Every Meeting Ever" by creators Tripp and Tyler.

The video humorously illustrates common types of people in business meetings, such as latecomers or those more interested in their phones than the discussion. The comments section is full of jaded office veterans saying things like, “Meetings: where the minutes are kept, but the hours are lost.”

Scott Adams' popular comic strip Dilbert also satirizes the mundane world of white-collar offices, including the time-draining nature of meetings.

Dilbert humorously highlights inefficient office meetings.

Set Clear Expectations

Effective meetings start with a clear agenda:

What is the problem?
What is the expected result of the meeting?
What are the expectations from each invited person?

In my experience, it's much easier to hold constructive discussions and agree on required actions if you start with a plan. Without an agenda, important issues might not be discussed, and attendees could become frustrated if they don't have time to prepare.

No Spectators, Only Players

Context matters, and it's valuable to ensure that all employees understand the organization's vision and the value of each project. However, things go faster when every participant in the meeting understands the clear expectations from themselves or their team. If the right people are involved, some issues with quick fixes can be resolved within five minutes. For problems requiring additional time and research, assign a person to the task and agree on an estimated time for completion.

Agree on Milestones

Don't finish the meeting until you understand and agree on:

What is the next step?
Who is responsible for the result?
What is the deadline for it?

The main mistake here is approaching everything as all or nothing. When the problem isn't obvious and research is required, the next step should be "plan research," followed by "share research results," then "provide possible solutions," and only then "plan implementation of the solution" and "share results of implementation." If someone is committed to "plan implementation of the solution" and "share results of implementation" as the next steps, it can be hard to understand when the result is expected and how to track progress.

Start small and make consistent progress towards the goal.

Conclusion

To summarize everything in one sentence: Plan your meetings assuming that at any moment, someone can lose their memory and the single source of information is the meeting notes.
Just like in "Memento" by Christopher Nolan.