Meeting norms

“In any collaborative work environment, the meeting is the main component of office life. But although meetings are the primary mechanism through which decisions get made, they are also the standard complaint of many [employees]*.”

Here are few norms to consider:

1. The default meeting time limit should be 25mins allowing for a 5min buffer to get to the next meeting, take a break, check messages, etc.
2. All meeting invites should include a room and virtual option (Google Hangout is easiest but Adobe works too). Cameras on should be first option, then turn off later if bandwidth is a concern. There is a way to add a dial-in to Google Hangouts.
3. Meetings should have purpose. What is it you want to discuss and what is expected of each member? If there is something to do before the meeting, then let people know.
4. Meetings should have actionable output. What are we taking away from this and who is going to do it? (For #3 and #4, the meeting owner should create an agenda, but put it in the notes. Don’t over do this, keep it simple, and use it in the meeting to stay on task.)
5. Not everyone needs to come to meetings, so determine who the important players are and try to keep the size to around five to seven people. Consider meetings as team collaboration events, not just speaking engagements or open-ended discussion (unless stated up front, but still set boundaries).
6. No meeting invites should be sent without all of the previous five items in the invite.

* Further reading