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There's a big elephant in the office today that's becoming harder to ignore—meetings.Even the best meetings can eat up massive person-hours, but those really awful ones will just kill you. You know the type.Those time-wasting, rudderless, repetitious, zombie meetings where "deep dives," "drill downs," and "face time" often mean much is debated, little is accomplished, and everybody leaves feeling broken--AND, often as not, late for their next meeting.In the premiere of this all-new presentation, Merlin Mann attacks Bad Meeting Culture with the same brand of practical, funny, and thought-provoking advice that his popular Inbox Zero talks brought to the topic of email.You'll learn:- what got us into this meeting mess- why meetings have special powers to waste time at scale- how "The 'Meh' Virus" propogates- why even scrums and one-on-ones aren't immune- how your meeting needs a parent- 10 insanely practical tactics for improving your own meetings--starting today
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Broken Meetings(and, how you will fix them)
by Merlin Mann43Folders.com
Broken Meetings, by Merlin Mann is ©2010 Merlin Mann.It is licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND License.Based on a work at www.43folders.com.
ODEO OFFICETHE CANNERY, 3RD ST.October, 2005
Petty Crimevs.
Manslaughter
Hell is other people.
Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit (1944)
Hell is other people’s
meetings.
Me, Here (2010)
“Tim”
[kill me hand]
Here’s the problem.
Nobody thinks their meetings suck.
Ask around.
TreatingThe “Meh”VIRUS
(Before it kills again.)
There are many crummy reasonsto call a meeting.
BoredDunno what else to doEverybody calls meetingsFree snacksCool new laser pointerPrefer to be seatedNeed to just think out loudLight in here’s so flatteringNot sureMeetings are what I “do.”
For someone on the maker’s schedule, having a meeting is like throwing an exception.It doesn’t merely cause you to switch from one task to another; it changes the mode in which you work.
Paul Grahambit.ly/9KHXHf
• Distracted & Bored
• Unprepared
• Apathetic
• Late, Late, Late
• Ragnarök
Where’s it hurt, people?
• Lack of Focus
• Lack of Preparation
• Lack of Care
• Lack of Respect
• Lack of Parenting
Ow. This does hurt.
Buh?“Parenting?”
Yes.“Parenting.”
Every meeting needs a
Parent Because, it’s not all about
Youany more.
(Sorry.)
Key Thing
Don’t wait for others to do the right thing.
You first.
DemandFirst-Person Transitive
“I verb noun.”
Verbsare your job.
So, why not verb your meetings?
TwoHeroes.
MR. MASONPHOTO: THOMAS HAWK http://i-0.us/cYTsdJ
MR. HAND(RAY WALSTON)
PHOTO: FAST TIMES
MR. MASONPHOTO: THOMAS HAWK bit.ly/cYTsdJ
MR. HAND(RAY WALSTON)
PHOTO: FAST TIMES
Like,HOW?
10 Patternsto Improve Meetings
1. Purpose2. Agenda3. Grazing4. Edges5. Guests
6. Timekeeper 7. No Ratholes8. Focus9. Follow-Up10. Consistency
1. Purpose(set it and stick to it)
2. Agenda(set it and stick to it)
3. Grazing Policy(set it and stick to it)
4. Edges(set them and stick to them)
5. Guests(schedule them and stick to it)
6. Timekeeper(set “acts” and stick to it)
7. No Ratholes(set expectation then stick to it)
8. Focus(restate purpose and stick to it)
9. Follow-Up(set accountability then stick to it)
10. Be Consistent(yes: stick to that, most of all)
10 Patternsto Improve Meetings
1. Purpose2. Agenda3. Grazing4. Edges5. Guests
6. Timekeeper 7. No Ratholes8. Focus9. Follow-Up10. Consistency
Caution!Some of these will get you killed or fired.
Resolved.
Nothing matters until it gets:
• a budget• a deadline• one owner
(otherwise it’s just a poster of a boat)
People aren’t dumb.
They just chaseBig Dogs.
I know, I know:“Too much!”
Fine. Start here…
The Four Quick Wins:
1. One Agenda
2. Two Hard Edges
3. Ruthless Grazing Policy
4. Transitive Follow-Up
10 Patternsto Improve Meetings
1. Purpose2. Agenda3. Grazing4. Edges5. Guests
6. Timekeeper 7. No Ratholes8. Focus9. Follow-Up10. Consistency
Meeting adjourned.
Thanks.
Broken Meetings(and, how you will fix them)
by Merlin Mann43Folders.com
Broken Meetings by Merlin Mann is ©2010 Merlin Mann.It is licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND License.Based on a work at www.43folders.com.
