Should I schedule a Meeting?
Before setting up a meeting - go through the following questions and ask yourself:
- Can this meeting be a document with comments?
- if not - why? → share with the invitees the why.
- Can you do it if you had no choice but to decide by yourself today?
- if not → what information is missing? → how can you get this information most efficiently?
Some actionable advice to help you do just that:
- As the organizer - think about who is needed for sync VS async (would meeting with X and sending the summary to Y be enough?)
- As the organizer - Google Calendar has an “optional attendee” option - use it.
- As the organizer - Add a clear description to your calendar invite, and attach supporting material for the attendees to use in preparation for the meeting.
- As the attendee - try to assume in advance whether you will have what to contribute to the conversation (assuming the meeting title is descriptive and context is given, ask for it if it’s not).
- As the attendee - the wealthiest man in the world said to Tesla’s employees: “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.”