Meeting Standards¶
Meetings are the most expensive collaboration mechanism you have.
When you pull five people into an hour-long meeting, you've consumed five hours of engineering time. That's not inherently bad—sometimes you need real-time discussion. But it means every meeting should justify its cost. A meeting without an agenda is a meeting that shouldn't happen. A meeting without decisions is a meeting that should have been an email.
Meeting standards aren't about bureaucracy. They're about respecting people's time and making meetings actually work.
What problem this solves¶
Without meeting standards:
- Meetings proliferate without purpose.
- People join calls without knowing why they're there.
- Discussion wanders; nothing gets decided.
- Decisions disappear because they weren't documented.
- People resent meetings because most are wasteful.
- Introverts and remote participants get steamrolled.
Standards create the structure that makes meetings productive and respectful.
When to use meetings¶
Meetings are appropriate when:
- Real-time discussion is needed. Back-and-forth would take days async.
- Nuance matters. Tone, body language, and rapid clarification help.
- Alignment across many people. Faster to sync once than coordinate async.
- Relationship building. Trust requires human connection.
- Sensitive topics. Feedback, conflict, performance.
- Creative brainstorming. Rapid idea generation benefits from flow.
Meetings are NOT appropriate when:
- Information could be shared async. Status updates, announcements, FYIs.
- Only one person is talking. That's a presentation, not a meeting.
- The goal is unclear. Don't book a meeting to figure out what to discuss.
- Attendees don't need to participate. If they're just listening, record it.
The litmus test: Would we lose something important if this were async? If not, don't meet.
Roles in meetings¶
Every meeting needs clear roles:
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Owner | Decides if the meeting happens. Creates agenda. Ensures follow-up. |
| Facilitator | Runs the meeting. Keeps time. Ensures participation. |
| Note-taker | Documents decisions, action items, and key discussion points. |
| Participants | Come prepared. Participate actively. |
| Optional attendees | May attend if useful; not expected. |
Owner and facilitator can be the same person. Rotate note-taking to distribute the work.
Before the meeting¶
1. Determine if the meeting is necessary¶
Ask:
- What outcome do I need?
- Can this be achieved async?
- Who actually needs to be there?
If async works, don't schedule a meeting.
2. Create an agenda¶
Every meeting needs an agenda shared at least 24 hours in advance.
A good agenda includes:
- Purpose: Why are we meeting?
- Outcomes: What will we accomplish?
- Topics: Specific discussion items, with time allocations.
- Pre-read: Materials participants should review before.
- Attendees: Who's expected, who's optional.
No agenda, no meeting. If the organizer hasn't shared an agenda, attendees should ask for one—or decline.
3. Invite thoughtfully¶
- Only invite people who need to be there. Fewer is usually better.
- Be clear about roles. Who's required? Who's optional?
- Respect time zones. Rotate meeting times for distributed teams.
- Protect focus time. Avoid scheduling over documented focus blocks.
4. Set the right duration¶
Default to shorter:
- 25 minutes instead of 30.
- 50 minutes instead of 60.
This gives people buffer between meetings.
During the meeting¶
1. Start on time¶
Respect people who arrived on time. Don't punish punctuality by waiting for latecomers.
If critical people are missing, start with what you can or reschedule—don't fill time.
2. State the purpose and outcome¶
Even if it's in the agenda: "We're here to decide X. By the end, we'll have Y."
3. Keep the discussion on track¶
The facilitator's job:
- Ensure all topics are covered.
- Redirect tangents: "That's important—let's capture it for later."
- Watch the clock and adjust.
- Ensure everyone has a chance to speak.
4. Make space for all voices¶
Remote and introverted participants often get drowned out. Counter this:
- Go around the room. Explicitly invite quieter participants.
- Use chat. Let people type questions or comments.
- Pause for typing. "Take 60 seconds to write your thoughts before we discuss."
- Default to video on (if the team agrees) so remote participants can read the room.
5. Document decisions and action items¶
Capture in real-time:
- Decisions: What was decided, and why.
- Action items: What, who, by when.
- Open questions: What needs more discussion.
Read back decisions before the meeting ends: "So we agreed to X. Is that right?"
6. End on time—or early¶
Don't run over. If you're not done:
- Identify what's unresolved.
- Schedule follow-up or move to async.
Ending early is a gift. If you're done, stop.
After the meeting¶
1. Share notes immediately¶
Within an hour of the meeting:
- Post decisions and action items.
- Share with attendees and anyone affected.
- Store in a findable location (wiki, team channel).
2. Follow up on action items¶
Action items have owners and deadlines. Track them. Follow up if they slip.
3. Solicit feedback on the meeting¶
Periodically:
- Was this meeting useful?
- Could it have been async?
- Should it be longer, shorter, or cancelled?
Meeting types and templates¶
Decision meeting¶
Purpose: Make a specific decision.
Agenda template:
## [Decision Topic] — [Date]
**Purpose:** Decide [specific question].
**Outcome:** Clear decision with documented rationale.
**Pre-read:** [Link to proposal/options doc]
**Attendees:**
- [Required]: [Names]
- [Optional]: [Names]
**Agenda:**
1. (5 min) Context and recap of options.
2. (15 min) Discussion: questions, concerns, perspectives.
3. (5 min) Decision: what are we deciding?
4. (5 min) Capture next steps.
Brainstorm meeting¶
Purpose: Generate ideas rapidly.
Agenda template:
## [Topic] Brainstorm — [Date]
**Purpose:** Generate ideas for [topic].
**Outcome:** List of ideas to evaluate.
**Pre-read:** [Context or problem statement]
**Attendees:** [Names]
**Agenda:**
1. (5 min) Problem framing.
2. (15 min) Silent idea generation (write ideas, no discussion).
3. (15 min) Share and build (rapid sharing, yes-and).
4. (10 min) Cluster and prioritize.
5. (5 min) Identify next steps.
Status / sync meeting¶
Purpose: Align on progress, surface blockers.
Usually recurring (weekly team sync, project check-in).
Agenda template:
## [Team/Project] Sync — [Date]
**Purpose:** Share progress, surface issues, align.
**Outcome:** Shared understanding, blockers addressed.
**Agenda:**
1. (5 min) Wins and highlights.
2. (15 min) Progress updates (round-robin or by topic).
3. (10 min) Blockers and help needed.
4. (5 min) Upcoming priorities.
**Notes:**
- [Captured during meeting]
1:1 meeting¶
Purpose: Manager-report connection, coaching, support.
See One-on-Ones for detailed guidance.
Meeting-free time¶
Protect time for deep work:
- No-meeting days: e.g., "No meetings on Wednesdays."
- No-meeting hours: e.g., "No meetings before 11am."
- Focus time blocks: Individuals block calendar; others respect it.
Make it explicit. Put it in the team's working agreement.
What good looks like¶
A team with good meeting standards:
- Meetings have purpose. Attendees know why they're there.
- Meetings are prepared. Agendas and pre-reads exist.
- Meetings start and end on time. Punctuality is respected.
- Decisions are documented. You can find what was decided.
- Action items are tracked. Things actually get done.
- Meetings are questioned. "Could this be async?" is a normal question.
- Everyone can participate. Remote and introverted voices are heard.
Failure modes and mitigations¶
| Failure mode | What it looks like | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| No agenda | Wandering discussion, unclear outcomes | Require agenda 24h in advance; no agenda = no meeting |
| Over-invited | Too many people, too little participation | Be ruthless about attendee list; use optional status |
| Dominators | Same people talk; others silent | Facilitate explicitly; go around the room; use silent writing |
| No documentation | Decisions disappear | Assign note-taker; share notes within 1 hour |
| No follow-through | Action items ignored | Track actions; review in subsequent meetings |
| Meeting bloat | Calendar full, no time for work | Audit recurring meetings; protect meeting-free time |
| Time zone neglect | Same people always excluded | Rotate meeting times; record for async |
| Running over | Meetings end late; no buffer | Set shorter defaults; facilitator watches clock |
Copy-pastable artifact: Meeting preparation checklist¶
# Meeting Preparation Checklist
## Before scheduling
- [ ] Is this meeting necessary? Could the goal be achieved async?
- [ ] What is the specific outcome I need from this meeting?
- [ ] Who actually needs to be there?
## Creating the meeting
- [ ] Title clearly indicates purpose.
- [ ] Duration is appropriate (default shorter: 25 or 50 min).
- [ ] Time works for attendees (check time zones).
- [ ] Attendees marked as required or optional.
## Agenda (share 24h+ in advance)
- [ ] Purpose stated.
- [ ] Outcome defined.
- [ ] Topics listed with time allocations.
- [ ] Pre-read materials linked.
- [ ] Attendees and roles listed.
## During the meeting
- [ ] Start on time.
- [ ] State purpose and expected outcome.
- [ ] Assign note-taker.
- [ ] Keep discussion on track.
- [ ] Make space for all voices.
- [ ] Capture decisions and action items.
- [ ] End on time (or early).
## After the meeting
- [ ] Notes shared within 1 hour.
- [ ] Action items have owners and deadlines.
- [ ] Follow-up scheduled if needed.
Copy-pastable artifact: Meeting notes template¶
# [Meeting Title] — [Date]
**Attendees:** [Names]
**Facilitator:** [Name]
**Note-taker:** [Name]
## Purpose
[Why we met]
## Discussion summary
[Key points discussed]
## Decisions made
| Decision | Rationale |
| ------------------ | --------- |
| [What was decided] | [Why] |
## Action items
| Action | Owner | Due |
| ------ | ------ | ------ |
| [Task] | [Name] | [Date] |
## Open questions / Parking lot
- [Items for future discussion]
## Next meeting
[Date/time, or "not needed"]
Related pages¶
- Async Communication — When not to meet.
- Rituals — Recurring meetings with specific purposes.
- Working Agreements — Where meeting norms live.
- One-on-Ones — The most important recurring meeting.
- Templates: 1:1 Agenda — Specific 1:1 guidance.