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Level Up Meeting Productivity with Action-Orien...

Level Up Meeting Productivity with Action-Oriented Meeting Agendas

Caitlin Hathaway

October 06, 2022
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  1. Not all meetings are productive! We've all been in meetings

    that were a complete waste of time. @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  2. What you will learn today: - What the meeting productivity

    landscape looks like - How to create an actionable meeting agenda (and a template to do this) - Best practices and rules to improve your meeting culture @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  3. Sensortower Since the pandemic started, there has been an explosion

    of daily users on virtual conference apps… @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  4. Has the amount of meetings you’re involved with changed since

    the start of Covid? @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  5. The Economist This came with increased number of meetings, and

    more attendees per meeting… @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  6. No. of meetings attended per week Responses No. of meetings

    attended Hours spent in meetings On an average week… @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  7. But are additional meetings helping us to thrive? Or are

    they hindering productivity? @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  8. • 24 billion hours are wasted each year as the

    result of unproductive meetings. • U.S. businesses lose $37 billion a year to unproductive meetings. • Only 37% of workplace meetings actively make use of agendas. Zippia The Meeting Productivity Landscape @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  9. What is your top priority that would help make your

    meetings more productive? @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  10. How often do you use an agenda in your meetings?

    @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  11. What is a meeting agenda? A meeting agenda consists of

    a list of topics and action items you’re looking to discuss during the meeting. - Fellow.app @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  12. Agendas evolve the ways that meetings are created and structured.

    Structure Collaboration Purpose Inclusivity @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  13. Select a cloud-based note-taking app to create / host your

    agendas @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  14. Key details belong at the top of the agenda Title

    Date Attendees Time Resources Key Details Topics Action Items Conclusion Preparation Objective @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  15. Determining an objective A meeting objective is a simple statement

    that defines the desired outcome of the meeting. Objectives help you structure the agenda! @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO Objective types typically include: • Planning • Decision-making • Problem-solving • Ideation
  16. Planning: Plan steps to complete migration project, assign steps to

    team members and set deadlines for the completion of each step. Decision-making: Decide on if we need to scale up the hiring initiative set forth at the start of this year. Ideation: Brainstorm Q4 campaign ideas for X subcategory. Examples of objectives Use SMART principle to help create objectives. @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  17. How long does it take you to prepare for a

    single meeting on average? No. of Responses @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  18. Make preparation the norm! • Review and contribute • Read

    all linked materials • Encourage attendees to ask questions ahead of time @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  19. Schedule 30 mins at the end of each day for

    prep. Allocate time for prep @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  20. Qualifying attendees 1. Attendee is a key decision-maker for the

    items on the agenda 2. Has the information needed to move forward on matters 3. Objective is related to a mutual issue that need to be solved 4. Can help with implementing the decisions @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO • Only invite absolutely necessary people! • Avoid duplication (people in same role)
  21. Agenda Topics Topics are specific items of discussion which are

    related to the meeting objective. Enables focused, collaborative discussion. Key Details Topics Action Items Conclusion @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  22. • Topics are added in before the meeting. • Attendees

    can review talking points and contribute in advance. • Topics are used for note taking during the meeting. @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  23. Only note the following: Do note: Decisions Results / Outcomes

    Action Items Conversation Debates ✔ Don’t note: ❌ Doc summaries @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  24. Be careful with adding ‘broad’ agenda topics Broad, open-ended topics

    open the door for discussions to go off-tangent. Topics that go off-tangent and can be timely (and costly!) @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  25. Tweaks to make topics more focused ❌ Avoid: Metrics review

    Upcoming tasks Q3 hiring plan Research new SEO tools Discuss the top 3 priority tasks for upcoming week Review September’s actual KPIs against goal KPIs Determine budget and timeframe for Q3 hires ✔ Instead: Decide on new SEO tool requirements and budget @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  26. Appoint minutes to topics to help the agenda stay on

    track. Tag attendees to a topic to own and discuss in the meeting. @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  27. Action Items Action items are added in during the meeting!

    An action item is a task that someone needs to complete outside of the meeting. Key Details Topics Action Items Conclusion @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  28. ❏ [TASK OWNER] will complete [SPECIFIC TASK] by [DEADLINE]. Completion

    Accountability Action Time-bound @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  29. ❏ [TASK OWNER] will complete [SPECIFIC TASK] by [DEADLINE]. ❏

    Luke will grant Leia access to GSC property straight after the meeting. ❏ Shrek will complete the page quality review and send to Fiona by EOD. @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  30. Key Details Topics Action Items Conclusion Conclusion / Wrap Up

    Always allocate some time at the end for questions / more clarity needed to help achieve the set objective. @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  31. Who creates the agenda? Organiser’s responsibility: Create, structure and distribute

    the agenda in advance. Attendees’ responsibility: To review/add to agenda topics beforehand and complete assigned prep. 👉 The organiser @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  32. Always share agenda in 👏 ADVANCE 👏 Share the meeting

    agenda at least 24 hours before the meeting. The sooner the better! Always add agenda to the calendar invite: Can circulate the agenda on: @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  33. Add agenda, objective, and required prep into the calendar invite

    description Attach agenda link! @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  34. Assigning notetakers • At the start, ask for a volunteer

    notetaker. • Round-robin - new notetaker per topic. • Choose a different team member to run agenda (if a recurring meeting) @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  35. The organiser can share their screen to show agenda notes

    being captured. • Everyone can see what’s being written in real-time • Offer feedback on language @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO Improving note taking visibility
  36. Types of collaboration include: Sharing information Gathering answers / feedback

    Updates Walkthrough of complex issues Recurring meetings Discussion Sensitive issues Decision-making @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  37. Sharing information Gathering answers / feedback Updates Walkthrough of complex

    issues Recurring meetings Discussion Sensitive issues Decision-making Meeting Email / Message Appropriate formats @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  38. Meetings are often accepted automatically without challenging the need or

    value of. Empower attendees to decline the invite if they feel like they can’t see/add value to that meeting. @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  39. 1. Is there an agenda so I can gain context

    on the objective and topics? 2. Do I add value by attending? 3. Am I the right person to attend this meeting? 4. What else could I use this time for if I declined the invite? Saying NO to meetings @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  40. Elon Musk on meeting culture at Tesla Walk out of

    a meeting or drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren't adding value. It is not rude to leave. It is rude to make someone stay and waste their time. @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  41. Late meeting starts Start on time as scheduled. Move any

    topics belonging to absent attendees at the bottom of the agenda. @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  42. Encouraging more participation from attendees Ask for input from everyone

    Call on low contributors Ask everyone to add to the agenda and own their topic Go all the way around the room and let everyone add their insight. Call on specific people to share their points of view. Helps encourage them to naturally own and talk about their points. @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  43. Always read the agenda before attending Round-robin of discussions to

    encourage participation Docs are always screenshared Each participant owns 1 talking point of agenda Be ready to contribute an update on their responsibilities or tasks Arrive to meetings with talking points or potential questions Adapt to feedback and create your own best practices that work for your team @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  44. After this session, I hope you DON’T schedule another meeting

    about meetings… ;) Let’s end the meeting madness once and for all! @CaitlinTheSEO | #BrightonSEO
  45. Thank you! :) Find my slides: https://speakerdeck.com/caitlinhathaway Meeting agenda template:

    https://bit.ly/bSEOMeetingAgenda @CaitlinTheSEO Enjoy the rest of BrightonSEO!