bd-MAP

Our friends at 37 Signals say: Meetings are Toxic. We disagree.

Meetings are the core of what we do as collaborative designers: we talk to each other, we talk to clients, we get stuff done and make plans together.

Effective, productive, engaging, group work is invigorating, certainly the opposite of toxic. But without doubt a lousy meeting is toxic, and at best a boring waste of time.

What’s a “Meeting”?

There’s a difference between a Meeting and Collaborative Work:

1. Meetings focus on reporting status within a team, or polling external stakeholders for a vote. We report status of a design to clients in the form of a presentation. Internal project meetings communicate the status of tasks relative to milestones or goals. “Where are we?” “Where do we stand?” “How will we react?” “Are we ahead or behind?
2. A meeting is not the place for technical or diplomatic work, the work having taken place and been resolved before hand. Meetings are a time for consensus-building. Everyone arrives knowing the answer. Negotiations have already taken place in the background, foundations have been laid, deals have been struck, homework has been done.
3. Meetings are a good time for leaders to make and communicate decisions. On the other hand, meetings, and/or process, are no substitute for strong leadership.
4. Collaborative work and brainstorming sessions are not ‘meetings’, per se, but still require defined start and stop times.
5. Fellowship and relationships and story-telling are essential to an effective organization, however meetings are not the time for these things.
6. A daily or weekly scrum can be the weekly or daily ten-minute drumbeat keeping a project on pace. It still requires a standing agenda. In the software world, Agile development teams have codified stand-up meetings without tables or chairs – immense amounts of information can be shared in a relatively short amount of time.

What are the keys to a non-toxic, effective meeting?

The Wall Street Journal prompts us to finally put it out there: ground rules for BDA meetings. The Journal’s list is very close to the list we’ve been developing, so we will quote it directly below. [My comments are in-line.]

1. Have an agenda and stick to it. It seems obvious, but most meetings fail because they are poorly planned and therefore go off track. Writing down the agenda and circulating it helps keep everyone on the same page. [Pre-publishing an agenda is essential groundwork for an effective meeting. Every agenda item has its own time limit. Think of meetings the same way you would think of any design problem. Organize and prioritize. Work to a set of intentions. Just talking about stuff? Not a meeting. Brainstorming, maybe. Save that for after hours or a one-on-one.]
2. Block half the time you usually do for meetings and keep strict time. Instead of a half-hour meeting, block a 15-minute slot. Meetings expand to fill the time you have. [Most meetings require a facilitator to keep them running efficiently. It is difficult for the leader of the meeting to also be the facilitator.]
3. Don’t tolerate late starts. If meetings have regular stragglers, consider fining participants a nominal fee and use the money for office parties. [I like the idea of office parties, but fines are a ridiculous notion. Nevertheless, the modus operandi of the meeting facilitator is to start on time, regardless of who is present or not.]
4. Consider banning mobiles or laptops from meetings—especially short sessions—to prevent participants from zoning out. If a meeting is long, set scheduled email breaks so people aren’t distracted throughout. [The checking of email is a sure sign a meeting has gone off the rails. Laptops *are* toxic in a group environment, period. Not a big problem for us... but still.]
5. Consider holding a stand-up meeting, which research shows may cut meeting length by as much as a third. A walking meeting, best for small groups, can also help participants clear their heads and get some exercise. [In our open-office environment, we're pretty good at the quick "touch-base report status" meeting. A sidebar or caucus, really, between team members.]
6. If there are follow-up or action items, make it crystal clear who should be doing what and who is accountable. [Basecamp is ideal for this purpose. Use it.]