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Meeting Guidelines

What is a Meeting?

A scheduled calendar event where people come together to figure something out, make decisions, or align on stuff.

What Isn’t a Meeting?

  • Hopping on a quick call to collaborate or brainstorm.
  • Pair programming or working through code together. That’s just teamwork.

Guidelines for Meetings

General Rules

  • Use the 25/50 Rule: Schedule meetings to last no longer than 25 or 50 minutes to ensure focus and to provide breaks between meetings.
  • Breaks for Long Meetings: If you have to go over an hour, include a 5-10 minute break every 45-60 minutes. Stretch, grab a hot drink, get away from the computer for a few minutes.

Before the Meeting

Involve the right people

  • Make it clear if attendance is required or optional.
  • Establish roles where needed, if a facilitator or minute-taker is needed, ask someone to take on the role beforehand and outline it in the invite.

Set an Agenda (and share it early):

  • All meetings should have an agenda. Put it in the invite or share it ideally at least 24 hours in advance.
  • Ensure the agenda specifies the meeting's purpose and desired outcomes. Why are we meeting? What’s the goal?
  • If the meeting doesn’t have a clear purpose or outcome, consider whether it’s necessary. No agenda? No meeting. Simple.

Pre-Meeting Materials:

  • Share any documents, slides, data or context that participants need to prepare in advance. People should not be caught off guard.

Inclusive Scheduling:

  • Be mindful of time zones and individual preferences when scheduling, this can be particularly appropriate when working with our contractors.
  • Consider whether this meeting is necessary. Could it be an email, or Teams thread?

During the Meeting

Start with a Recap:

  • Open with a quick review of the agenda so everyone's on the same page.

Facilitate Effectively:

  • Have a facilitator to guide the discussion, keep time, and ensure everyone has a chance to contribute.
  • If it's a regular meeting, think about rotating facilitation duties among team members to distribute ownership. No-one wants to be "the meeting person".

Foster Inclusivity:

  • Allow space for all voices. Use structured turns or techniques like hand-raising in virtual calls to include quieter participants.
  • Encourage colleagues to contribute in ways that work for them. Sometimes typing something in the chat is easier, allow people to contribute in the way that works for them.
  • Record a meeting if there are interested attendees who are unable to attend.

Stick to the Agenda:

  • Respect the outlined topics. If new ideas arise, park them for future discussion.

Finish on time

  • Make sure the meeting finishes when it says it will.
  • Schedule a follow-up meeting if it looks like it will overrun.

After the Meeting

Action Items:

  • Summarise clear, actionable takeaways during the meeting.
  • Assign responsibilities and set deadlines for follow-ups. Who’s doing what? By when?

Document and Share:

  • Write up meeting notes, including actions and decisions made, and share them with participants promptly. Post it in Teams, tag people in Loop, use whatever works best for the participants.

Feedback:

  • Is this a regular meeting? Don't be afraid to ask for feedback on the meeting to improve future sessions. Keep it simple. Ask the team: "What worked? What didn’t?"

Tips for Effective Meetings in a Remote-First Environment

  • Use Video Selectively: Allow participants to turn their cameras off if it helps them focus or feel comfortable.
  • Leverage Tools: Use the right tools for the job
    • Miro for collaboration and brainstorming
    • Azure DevOps or Microsoft To Do for tracking tasks and actions.
    • MS Teams for a little ✋ or 👍 energy.
  • Reduce Overlap: If something can be resolved asynchronously, consider whether a meeting is the best format.