Effective Meeting Practices

This week I'm thinking a lot about how done is better than perfect, inspired by a sales coaching conversation I had with a client last week. She was a bit stuck, worry about WHEN to follow up after a meeting with a potential referral partner. Should she follow up a week later? 3 days later? etc. Here's what I said --> Create a system that you always do after each meeting. It doesn't have to be perfect in terms of scientifically timing each follow up but it should be something that you ALWAYS do. It could look something like this: 1️⃣ The Post-Meeting Routine: Take 15 minutes immediately after each meeting to log detailed notes in your CRM. Document key pain points, objections raised, and next steps discussed. This ensures you capture insights while they're fresh. 2️⃣ The Calendar Commitment: Create calendar reminders for each follow-up touchpoint in your plan. Set specific dates for thank-you emails, value-add communications, and next steps outreach. This eliminates the mental energy spent wondering when to follow up – it just shows up on the calendar. 3️⃣ The CRM Nudge System Use your CRM's task features to create a sequence of follow-up reminders with specific actions attached to each. Set it up to alert you at 24-hour, 3-day, 10-day, and 21-day intervals to keep your prospects from falling through the cracks. The intervals aren't the important thing here. It's the automation that helps maintain momentum without requiring perfect memory. The best system isn't about timing – it's about having a process you'll actually stick to. What's one way you could make your follow-up process more systematic this week?

Ever sat through a team meeting that felt like watching paint dry? You know the meetings where: - The PowerPoint slides could cure insomnia - What's shared should've been an email - The silence is so thick you can hear a pin drop We've all been there. But here's the real gut punch - what if YOU'RE accidentally running meetings like this? Nothing humbles you quite like watching your team fight to keep their eyes open during your "exciting team update." As someone who specializes in facilitation, I can tell you that with just a few small tweaks, any manager can transform their team gatherings. Here are 6 simple changes that make a massive difference: ➡️ Start with purpose, not habit - Ask "Why am I gathering these people?" (Hint: status updates aren't a good enough reason) ➡️ Create an agenda that works like a GPS - Begin by defining your destination (desired outcomes) so everyone knows where you're headed ➡️ Include a 5-minute connection activity - Strong teams aren't built discussing KPIs, they're built in those small moments where people connect as humans ➡️ Create space for quieter voices - Not everyone processes at the same speed or communicates the same way, but everyone has valuable insights ➡️ End with crystal-clear next steps - Each action item needs an owner and a deadline, or you've just wasted everyone's time ➡️ Address disengagement privately - If someone's checked out, have the "I notice" conversation with genuine curiosity rather than judgment Want to see how your meetings measure up? Take my 2-minute Meeting Momentum quiz (linked on last slide) ♻️ Share to help someone lead a better meeting

Stop nodding along in meetings. Start having impact: Too often, meetings are filled with phrases like: ❌ “That sounds great” ❌ “Let’s table it for another time” ❌ “Let’s circle back when we have more info” From 10 years in high performing teams, here’s what I’ve learnt about meetings: Top performers aren’t afraid to ask the hard questions. Here are 13 questions you can ask to leave a mark: 1/ "What do we have to deprioritize to do this well?" ↳ Use to help create focus. ↳ Shows you understand we can't do everything at once. 2/ "What happens if we do nothing?" ↳ Use to overcome inertia. ↳ Helps identify true priorities. 3/ "Who's done this well that we could learn from?" ↳ Use when projects have been done before. ↳ Shows you want to use others’ learnings. 4/ "What's the simplest way to explain this?" ↳ Use to create clarity. ↳ Shows you understand the importance of simplicity. 5/ "What went wrong last time?" ↳ Use when repeating past initiatives. ↳ Shows you want to learn from experience. 6/ "How will we know if this is working?" ↳ Use when success isn't clearly defined. ↳ Shows you care about real results. 7/ "Who's going to own each workstream?" ↳ Use when responsibilities are unclear. ↳ Prevents the "someone else will do it" problem. 8/ "How does this affect our current priorities?" ↳ Use when new work might disrupt current priorities. ↳ Shows you're thinking about the whole picture. 9/ "Who might we upset by this choice?" ↳ Use when changes could impact others. ↳ Shows you consider how others might feel. 10/ "If we had half the budget, how would we do this?" ↳ Use to find creative solutions. ↳ Shows you can spark new ideas. 11/ "What aren't we seeing here?" ↳ Use when consensus comes too easily. ↳ Shows you look at problems from all angles. 12/ "How does this help us reach our primary goals?" ↳ Use when projects drift from objectives. ↳ Makes sure we're not getting sidetracked. 13/ "What's our plan for the worst-case scenario?" ↳ Use when planning risky initiatives. ↳ Shows you think ahead. Remember: Impact can from asking the right questions. You don't have to be the smartest one in the room. Just ask the questions that make others think differently. P.S. Which of these will you use in your next meeting? — ♻ Repost to inspire your network to have more impact at work. ➕ Follow me (Will McTighe) for more like this.

I love a good brainstorming session, especially when working on social media content. But, if it's going to be productive, you've got to set ground rules. Here are my favorites: First off, I set these ground rules like I'm explaining the rules of freeze tag or some game. It's more about boundaries and respect, and less about control. Second, I like to open with a fun ice breaker that gets people thinking. When doing a brainstorm around ambassador programs, we did trivia to guess celebrity endorsements. Activate their curiosity. Ok, now to the rules: 1. One idea at a time. Instead of every one yelling out all the ideas at once, we start with one and move on from there. If folks have multiple ideas, get them to write them down so they don't forget. 2. Encourage wild ideas. Some of my best brainstorms have started with ideas that were not grounded in reality, that could never happen, that were totally out of budget... but they led to realistic ideas that could work and were more innovative. 3. Build on the ideas of others. Don't hold your own ideas precious, but take what others have given and let your imagination run with it. Brainstorming is a team effort, no one is getting individual credit. Work off what you've got. 4. Defer judgment. Especially if you're the 'boss,' it's tempting to shoot things down that won't work or haven't worked in the past. You probably think you're speeding up the process. Instead, let the brainstorm happen organically and flow. 5. Stay on topic. Side conversations often happen in brainstorms. An idea pops up, it relates to another conversation, and all of a sudden you're on a side quest. If you stray, take note of it so you can address it outside the brainstorm. What helps you and your team brainstorm?

In April I sent a company-wide note with the subject line “I hate meetings.” Unsurprisingly, it’s our most-read internal communication to date. My message was simple: meetings can be incredibly effective when done right, but we’ve all adopted some bad habits when it comes to using our time – and our colleagues’ time – wisely.   After soliciting feedback from colleagues around the world through polling, group discussions and direct outreach, I shared our first round of meeting-focused updates:   ✔ Default meeting lengths in Outlook would now be 20- and 40-minute blocks, as opposed to 30 and 60 minutes. ✔ Pre-reads should be utilized more, prepared in a thoughtful way and sent at least 24 hours in advance. ✔ Even when the purpose of a meeting is clear, agendas matter! We should get in the habit of creating clear and concise agendas for all meetings, regardless of length. ✔ Less technical, but just as important: when considering a meeting, ask yourself – can this be done another way (e.g., e-mail, phone call, walk down the hall for an in-person discussion)? If a meeting is required, when considering participants ask yourself who really needs to take part. In the first month, total meetings per week dropped by ~1,800, and total audio minutes per week dropped by ~15%; that’s 282,280 minutes, or more than 4,700 hours. Stating the obvious, that’s rapid culture change. And while things have normalized a bit (at least, until our next round of updates), we’re still seeing a downward trend. Are these groundbreaking ideas for how to become a more efficient and effective organization? No, but they don’t have to be. Sometimes it’s as simple as 1) reminding people that we don’t have to operate a certain way because “that’s how we’ve always done things,” and 2) encouraging ownership of our time, the most valuable commodity we have. #CompanyCulture #TimeManagement #WorkSmarter

Forget agendas and pre-reads, do this instead: 1. Put together a short page (3-4 min read time) that outlines a key idea or decision 2. Spend the first few minutes of the meeting reviewing the page 3. Now that everyone has full context, make key decisions or solve the problem at hand 4. Document decisions or next steps in the page for visibility Instead of asking people to do pre-work only to experience a 20-minute verbal rehash, this approach gets everyone on the same page quickly, leaving the majority of the meeting free to * do the work together. * When people take the steps listed above, our research shows they find meetings 23% less frustrating and 22% more useful. My team uses this method in our weekly team meetings, more below ⬇️

Anyone else suffer from meeting overload? It’s a big deal. Simply put too many meetings means less time available for actual work, plus constantly attending meetings can be mentally draining, and often they simply are not required to accomplish the agenda items. At the same time sometimes it’s unavoidable. No matter where you are in your career, here are a few ways that I tackle this topic so that I can be my best and hold myself accountable to how my time is spent. I take 15 minutes every Friday to look at the week ahead and what is on my calendar. I follow these tips to ensure what is on the calendar should be and that I’m prepared. It ensures that I have a relevant and focused communications approach, and enables me to focus on optimizing productivity, outcomes and impact. 1. Review the meeting agenda. If there’s no agenda I send an email asking for one so you know exactly what you need to prepare for, and can ensure your time is correctly prioritized. You may discover you’re actually not the correct person to even attend. If it’s your meeting, set an agenda because accountability goes both ways. 2. Define desired outcomes. What do you want/need from the meeting to enable you to move forward? Be clear about it with participants so you can work collaboratively towards the goal in the time allotted. 3. Confirm you need the meeting. Meetings should be used for difficult or complex discussions, relationship building, and other topics that can get lost in text-based exchanges. A lot of times though we schedule meetings that we don’t actually require a meeting to accomplish the task at hand. Give ourselves and others back time and get the work done without that meeting. 4. Shorten the meeting duration. Can you cut 15 minutes off your meeting? How about 5? I cut 15 minutes off some of my recurring meetings a month ago. That’s 3 hours back in a week I now have to redirect to high impact work. While you’re at it, do you even need all those recurring meetings? It’s never too early for a calendar spring cleaning. 5. Use meetings for discussion topics, not FYIs. I save a lot of time here. We don’t need to speak to go through FYIs (!) 6. Send a pre-read. The best meetings are when we all prepare for a meaningful conversation. If the topic is a meaty one, send a pre-read so participants arrive with a common foundation on the topic and you can all jump straight into the discussion and objectives at hand. 7. Decline a meeting. There’s nothing wrong with declining. Perhaps you’re not the right person to attend, or there is already another team member participating, or you don’t have bandwidth to prepare. Whatever the reason, saying no is ok. What actions do you take to ensure the meetings on your calendar are where you should spend your time? It’s a big topic that we can all benefit from, please share your tips in the comments ⤵️ #careertips #productivity #futureofwork

I've discovered that the essence of productive meetings isn't in lengthy discussions, but pre-preparation before the meeting to focus on decisions, and less on lengthy debates. 85% of your discussions should be done Async and only do meetings on strategy, decisions, and key debates/disagreements. Here is what I learnt from working with Japanese executives:  Pre-Meeting: - Try and send materials, from reports to agenda, at least 48 hours ahead. This primes everyone for the discussions ahead. - Clearly state the decisions that need to be made or outcomes that need to be achieved. It's about directing focus right where it's needed. - Invite meeting participants to share their thoughts or questions beforehand, cutting down clarification time during the actual meeting. In the Meeting: - Start with a 5-minute summary, not a lengthy reintroduction. - Discussions are centered around key points and decisions. - Keeping discussions time-boxed is non-negotiable. After the Meeting: - Lay out decisions, assign responsibilities, and set deadlines. I'm curious to hear from you – how have you run your meetings to make them productive? Image credit: Tom FishBurne Marketoonist

Unproductive meetings are costing us $399 billion a year. And 25% of that is because no one is taking the time to follow up! As someone who provides project management support to nonprofits, I understand that follow-up is huge! Here’s how I’ve seen this play out ⤵️ Imagine you’re working at a nonprofit. You just had a great team meeting about Q2 goals. Everyone is supercharged and ready to take action. But then, two weeks later, at the next team meeting… Everyone is staring blankly at one another. No one has followed up or set next steps from the last meeting. After any meeting, setting next steps and accountability around them is crucial to seeing projects through. But it can be one of the simplest things to forget 🤷🏾♀️ If you don’t have clear next steps & follow-ups after a meeting… You may find yourself wasting a lot of time fixing the same problems. So, as a project manager for organizations in the social sector, here’s one piece of advice on how to fix this and make it a habit. ⤵️ Let’s replay that scenario again. You had a great team meeting about goals for Q2. ↓ You’re ready to take action, and you outline clear next steps at the end of the meeting.  ↓ You then attach names of team members and dates to those next steps. ↓ You immediately schedule these tasks with specific deadlines in your Google calendar (or any system you use) and share these invites with relevant team members - this is the accountability piece.  ↓ You schedule reminder emails before the due dates to keep everyone on track. ↓ By having a clear follow-up routine tied to a visual reminder, few tasks will fall through the cracks, and you’ll have constructive team meetings that will push your project forward. P.S. Sharing insights like this is why I love working behind the scenes of great initiatives. Because it’s these simple steps that transform great ideas into amazing causes.

Running Effective Meetings: 7 Must-Follow Rules After one too many unfocused meetings, I instituted strict rules within my direct reports to increase alignment and productivity. Whether leading internal or external meetings, here are 7 tactics for sharply focused sessions: 1. Most meetings are 30 minutes max. If it's a working meeting it can be 45-60 minutes. 2. Share agenda and pre-read or memo via Doc at least 8 hours prior. Information should be shared in advance. We should not be spending the whole meeting with someone reading a data update. Most meetings should be dialogues and conversations 3. Start the meeting by establishing the objective and desired decisions. I almost always start a group meeting with “objective of this meeting is..." or "By the end of this meeting we will decide…” 4. Start and end on time out of respect for schedules. 5. Redirect tangents politely. Tangents have no place in a 30-minute meeting. If new issues are brought up then they require more data/ and a separate meeting. 6. Leave the last 3 minutes for action item review. 7. Share meeting notes with clear deadlines within 8 hours. I am a proponent for sending immediately after or even during the meeting in Slack. It's remarkable the impact these simple consistency practices have on morale and efficiency. Try them yourself and watch your team's productivity leap. Let me know what rules or frameworks you rely on for optimizing meeting efficiency at your organization! What resonates most with keeping stakeholders aligned and progress flowing? My free newsletter for more productivity & efficiency tips: