Do Better Meetings – STP049

Episode 49 - Life is too short for terrible meetings. We explore how to make them better, whether you run 'em, go to 'em, or avoid 'em. Dive in... Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is: Who invented the meeting Terrible conference calls - an example Why a CNBC article confirms your worst fears - meetings can be rubbish Everything that's wrong with meetings Holding meetings 101 - The basics: Respect your attendee's time Get to the point Consider who HAS to be there Set the agenda Change the location Or even just change SEATS! John Cleese shows us what's wrong with meetings Can you make meetings better if you're invited to them? YES YOU CAN A great article by Tom Catalini - how to avoid meetings that waste your time Book meetings with yourself Find out from the organiser what the purpose is of the meeting Reach out to the other delegates and help each other prepare Why you should sometimes say 'no' Arrive late - or leave early A GREAT Ted talk by David Grady - Worth 6 minutes of your time trust me The radical stuff - what Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and other big players do Empty chair Silent reading time No Powerpoint Not before noon Only on a Wednesday Do 30 mins in 20 Purge recurring meetings Throw out the hangers-on Lose the chairs Walk out (if you're not adding value) The research we used for this episode was:  The Chicago Tribune/Vancouver Sun - Meetistotle HBR - Stop the meeting madness Forbes article by Dean Brenner - The Secret To Better Meetings Tom Catalini - How to avoid meetings that waste your time Drayton Bird - Please Read Carefully Before You Even Think Of Attending A Meeting John Cleese - Meetings Meetings Bl**dy Meetings Fastcompany - Business Leaders Share How They Cut Down On Meetings Quartz.com - Top Business Leaders Meetings Project Management Hacks - 7 tips to more productive meetings Inc.com - 9 steps to better meetings CNBC - Jeff Bezos, Mark Cuban and Elon Musk avoid this productivity killer