1 of 19

How to Run a Meeting

Teaching Tech Together

Greg Wilson

http://third-bit.com

2 of 19

0. You don’t have to invent this yourself

2

https://www.askamanager.org/

3 of 19

1. Does there actually need to be a meeting?

  • To review and give feedback? No—do it asynchronously
  • To inform? Only if you are expecting deep questions
  • To consult? Only if people get a veto
    • Otherwise it’s just informing with pretense
  • To make decisions when asynchronous review can’t
    • But only in small groups
    • Or with well-defined procedural rules

3

4 of 19

A Theory

Meetings have proliferated because they’re easier to do (you don’t even have to get out of your chair)

and because they have become a substitute for casual social interaction

​

Resist, comrades—resist!

4

5 of 19

2. Create an agenda

  • If you don’t care enough to make a list, you don’t need a meeting
  • Include timings
  • Prioritize
  • Plan to end early

5

6 of 19

50 Minutes Plus a Break

“The fundamental unit of time is the bladder”

6

7 of 19

3. Have clear rules for making decisions

  • (And for knowing what decisions have been made)
  • “The Tyranny of Structurelessness” (Jo Freeman)
  • Every group has a power structure
    • The only question is whether it’s explicit and accountable
    • Or implicit and unaccountable
  • If you need Robert’s Rules of Order, you need training

7

8 of 19

3. Have clear rules for making decisions

  • Martha’s Rules
  • Proposal with sponsor
    • A day before the meeting (no sandbagging)
  • Sense vote (+1, 0, -1)
    • If no one objects, proposal passes
  • Discussion as needed
  • Binding vote (+1 or -1 only)

8

9 of 19

4. Have a moderator

  • Moderators should not do all the talking
    • Any more than conductors play all the notes
  • Call on specific people in order
  • Allow them one point at a time
  • Keep a backlog

9

10 of 19

5. Require politeness

  • All the other rules are special cases of this…
  • No technology during in-person meeting
    • Except for assistive technology or family need
    • “Please put your devices in politeness mode”
  • No interruptions
    • Except by moderator
  • No rambling

10

11 of 19

“But what do we talk about?”

​

Progress, plans, and problems go up

Context and priorities come down

11

12 of 19

6. Record minutes

  • So people who weren’t there know what happened
  • So people who were there agree what happened
  • So people can be held accountable at later meetings

12

13 of 19

7. Manage “that guy”

  • This is the moderator’s other job
  • https://coast.noaa.gov/ddb/

​

  • Three stickies
  • Interruption bingo

13

14 of 19

8. Be an active participant

  • Decline invitations
  • Read the agenda and material before the meeting
  • Take your own notes
  • Use participants’ names
  • Use definite nouns
  • Pause before speaking
  • Put down your hand

14

15 of 19

9. Life online

  • Do not record the meeting without willing consent
  • No mixed-mode meetings: all in person or all online
  • Take minutes in a shared document
  • Raise hands digitally
    • /hand another budget item was better…
  • Review meeting protocol at the start
    • “Are we chatting in Zoom, Slack, or the doc?”

15

16 of 19

Speaking of which…

I’ll Slack you a link to the Google spreadsheet that will tell you which GitHub repository’s wiki points to the Confluence page we’re using to track mailing lists in ZenDesk.

Oh wait, no, it’s in Figma…

16

17 of 19

10. Seek truth, not victory

  • Don’t raise points you don’t actually believe in
    • The devil doesn’t need more advocates
  • No social dominance displays
    • “Well actually…”
  • Don’t make excuses for your questions or opinions
    • “This is probably stupid, but…”

17

18 of 19

Please Read

18

19 of 19

Thanks, Dad

​

​

​

​

Start where you are

Use what you have

Help who you can

19