Meetings can be a great moment for collaboration, but if not done effectively they can a be a drain on peoples time and energy. See below for when sync meetings work well and alternatives if they don’t.

When is a meeting needed?

Effective meetings produce a tangible outcome faster (or better) than asynchronous collaboration. The types of meetings in this category are typically discussion-heavy. But again, that discussion needs to amount to something.

• Unsure if you should create a meeting? Follow the workflow below 👇

✅ Meeting is needed:

• 1:1’s are perfect for video calls. Let’s talk.
• Critical and direct feedback
• Project kick offs. If the prep is done, a meeting to answer questions and discuss is great.
• Any customer-facing sessions like UX research, sales call etc.
• Team meeting to share some face time with your team.
• Retros & demos. They are interactive sessions and work great in video.
• Fun / social time or e.g. first time meeting new team members
• Interviews

❌ Meeting may not be needed:

• Brainstorms. Instead, prep a doc and share. We can talk after that if needed.
• Status updates. Prep a doc and share.
• Repeating things that are already written down. Instead, invite an opinion or decision async.
• Simple decisions. Some things need very little discussion. Just do it async.
• Creating reports.

Holding Sync Meetings

There are times when a sync call is required. In these cases let’s make them great.

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Reminder: If someone can’t join or a big decision is going to be made on a call, please record the meeting.

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1️⃣ Before the Meeting

• Give a heads up
• Prepare ahead of time
• Limit number of attendees
• Canceling

2️⃣ During the Meeting

• Be respectful of time
• Record / Transcribe the call
• When possible, camera on
• End with an Action Plan