I heard an interesting rule for meetings.
The only reasons to have a meeting are to decide, debate, discuss, and develop.
The item that is overused and rightfully missing from the list above is update.
Professional days get quickly filled with status meetings.
The time when everyone updates what they are working on.
The meeting doesn’t really move anything forward… it just updates people.
What people?
Who cares?
Who needs the updates… and why?
If you don’t have anything to decide, debate, discuss, or develop, don’t have the meeting.
Wait until next week.
Instead of doing roundtable updates, have team members submit content ideas that fit one of the four categories.
No topics.
No meeting.
Your Turn
How much of your day is full of meetings?
Are they update meetings or are you deciding, debating, discussing, and developing?
Could this structure help you create more productive meetings?