Meetings are a tricky topic. They are necessary to align our work, discuss important topics and hear other people’s viewpoints. At the same time they can be expensive, tedious and break one’s flow. That’s why we stick to the following principles:
Sometimes matters can be solved by a quick Slack exchange or face-to-face chat.
Check people’s calendars and try to put your meeting within the core hours.
End your meeting at :50 or :55 to give people a short time before their next assignment.
Invite all of the people who need to be present for decision-making. We want to solve the matter at hand, not have another meeting because somebody felt excluded.
Your meeting room reservation should be as long as necessary, but as short as possible.
Make sure you are inclusive towards remote participants, giving them time to chime in and each person using your own laptop when in groups. Ask if the connection and audio is good enough and (if you’re remote) point out when it isn’t.
Make sure all your calendar entries include a google hangout link.
The purpose of the meeting should be clear to all participants.
Don’t wait for people who are late. Always start on time and start with a checkin to get grounded in the meeting. Good checkin questions are: