The ultimate better-meeting playbook: boosting productivity and engagement
Dive in deep and get ready to transform your meetings from time-wasters to powerhouse sessions that your team actually looks forward to. It’s time to ditch the endless loops of unproductive gatherings and reshape how your team collaborates.
With a blend of tried-and-tested practices and innovative, out-of-the-box strategies, this guide is your roadmap to unlocking the potential of every single meeting. We’re talking about meetings that not only spark creativity and drive tangible results but also leave your team feeling empowered and aligned with your vision.
Whether you’re kickstarting a project or in the thick of navigating challenges, the insights here are your secret weapon to fostering a culture of inclusivity, dynamism, and clear communication. Get ready to lead meetings that matter, meetings that inspire, and meetings that lead to action. Welcome to a better standard.
Cultivating meetings that matter
As you consider what your perfect meeting looks like, first consider what your business goals are and work backward from there. Meetings are your opportunity to collaborate with your team to move your business closer to those goals incrementally. Consider these foundational elements as your North Star.
Design a foolproof meeting structure.
Customization is always better than a one-size-fits-all approach, especially when it comes to meetings. Choosing your meeting structure can feel overwhelming when you don’t know where to start. Follow these suggestions to establish a solid foundation for your team meetings:
Keep a consistent weekly cadence
Designate a single day and time each week. This meeting should never be missed unless you are sick or out of the office. It’s not enough to schedule this recurring meeting. You need to make sure your team understands the expectations for this weekly meeting. Consistency is key to success.
Customized agenda
Your agenda doesn’t have to be intricate. In fact, it can be basic, but it does need to be customized to the operational needs of your organization. Choose your agenda items, and budget adequate time for each.
From faucet to funnel: the art of prioritization
Ever sat through a meeting feeling like you’re wading through a swamp of items, both big and small, with no end in sight? Enter the faucet-to-funnel method—our answer to the chaotic brainstorm that overwhelms many meetings. Picture this: as your agenda progresses, you’re identifying opportunities and obstacles. Instead of getting bogged down with each opportunity or obstacle as it arises, we advocate for a simple mantra: “Drop it down.”
@BLOOMGROWTH pro tip: We don’t get distracted by the shiny stuff. We aren’t ruled by what’s urgent, interesting, easy. Then how do we prioritize which obstacle to remove or opportunity to leverage? By zeroing in on what truly matters for the organization, especially when it comes to our people. That’s where we put our energy.
Discover, discuss, decide: leveraging opportunities & removing obstacles
First, you’ve got to understand the heart of the problem. Spend time digging into what’s really going on. Make sure everyone gets the main item. Lay out what you want to achieve. Have a focused chat to brainstorm solutions. Finally, decide on actions based on your discussion and insights.
By sticking with this method, you’ll see major improvements in how your team tackles challenges and seizes new opportunities.
Discover
- Quick overview: Start with a concise introduction of 1–2 sentences to clearly state your topic.
- Find the root cause: Go deep to uncover the main items that need our attention.
- Take it slow: Make sure everyone gets the full picture.
Discuss
- Clear goals: Define what you’re aiming to achieve, whether that’s making decisions, sharing info, or collecting data.
- Use examples: Guide the conversation using examples to keep it productive.
- Pick up the pace: Stay on topic and involve everyone in a focused discussion.
Decide
- Thoughtful decision-making: Make choices that are meaningful, permanent, and inspiring.
- SMART action items: Break down these decisions into specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound tasks for clear follow-up steps.
Following this three-step process helps us turn obstacles into opportunities and keep moving forward.
The three P’s unveiled
Miscommunication in meetings can often feel like you’re speaking different dialects of the same language. That’s why we live by the three P’s: purpose, process, and payoff.
- Purpose: Why are we here? Establish the why behind the meeting, making sure it ties back to your larger organizational goals.
- Process: How are we going to tackle this? Lay out a clear, actionable roadmap for the meeting. What are your rules of engagement? How do you agree to “show up for each other”?
@BLOOMGROWTH pro tip: Keeping our cameras on during meetings is a cornerstone of our culture. It ensures we’re fully engaged and focused on one another, without the distraction of multitasking.
- Payoff: What’s in it for everyone involved? Define the expected outcome of the meeting—be it a decision, a plan, or an innovative idea to pursue.
@BLOOMGROWTH pro tip: Include the purpose and payoff in every meeting invite. Explain why attendees are needed and what they’ll gain. This turns meetings into meaningful interactions, not productivity killers.
Practices that make your meetings simply better
Align—don’t just attend.
Our meeting philosophy is all about getting everyone involved and on the same page. Don’t be shy—shake things up! Dive into meaningful conversations with tough questions and tackle the big opportunities and obstacles head-on. This way, you make sure everyone’s opinion is considered, making participants feel appreciated and closely tied to what you achieve. To keep everyone engaged and aligned, here are some straightforward strategies to consider:
- Getting ready in advance: Share the meeting agenda before the meeting. This way, everyone comes in prepared, ready to make valuable contributions.
- Checking in: Strive to make meaningful connections with your team, encouraging authentic conversations instead of the expected, robotic pleasantries. Celebrate each other’s achievements and milestones to foster a sense of unity. Cultivating trust within the team is crucial for the openness and honesty you’ll need during the “tough stuff.”
- Keeping things lively: Spice up meetings with interactive tools like virtual whiteboards and quizzes to keep everyone interested and engaged.
- Tackling tough stuff head-on: When it comes to the hard topics, dive right into the heart of the matter (the purpose or “why”) and figure out what everyone’s hoping to get out of it (the payoff).
- Watching the clock: Start meetings on time and stick to the schedule. Make it clear, “We’ve got 30 minutes, and I’m committed to wrapping up on time to respect everyone’s schedule.”
- Asking for feedback: End each meeting by asking if everyone understands how the discussion fits into the larger plans. This way, we can keep tweaking things to make sure our meetings hit the mark for everyone. Ask what went well and what could be better next time.
- Wrapping up: After the meeting, send out a quick summary and outline the next steps. This keeps everyone in the loop and accountable.
“Solving your root issues impacts everything else you are doing, now and into the future,” suggests Clay, Bloom’s founder.
Technology as your ally
In the digital age, meetings have morphed with the introduction of tools like Bloom and AI summarizers like Fathom, changing how we track tasks and progress. However, always remember that tech is an ally, not a crutch. Use it to enhance human connection, not replace it. Consider your needs honestly: a small family restaurant may not need the same platforms as Google and Meta.
Here are some tech platforms you may want to explore:
- Video conferencing (Zoom, WebEx, Skype, Teams)
- AI note taker (Fathom, Otter.ai)
- Cloud file storage (Google, OneDrive, Dropbox)
- Intuitive scheduling (Calendly, Acuity)
- Virtual whiteboard (Miro, Figma)
- Project management (ClickUp, monday.com, Jira, Trello)
- Team engagement (Slack, Slido)
- Meeting management (Bloom Growth, Fellow, ninety.io, EOSOne)
- Noise-canceling tool (Krisp)
@BLOOMGROWTH pro tip: We silence all notifications during meetings to avoid distractions and multitasking.
Accountability, not afterthoughts
Accountability and execution will drive your organization toward its goals. They are strategic ways to increase participation during your meetings, encouraging active listening and taking ownership of action items immediately.
Next time you meet, ensure that every action item has someone accountable for it. That way, the person who is responsible will stay engaged in the conversation to listen for important information.
@BLOOMGROWTH pro tip: Accountability extends beyond the manager’s role. We encourage all team members across Bloom to ask clarifying questions and provide blind-spot coverage.
Words of meeting wisdom from around Bloom
“Step up with courage to own your own experience. We, oftentimes, complain that meetings suck but we don’t want to take action to improve them.”
“Start on time. End on time.”
“Productive meetings [don’t have to] yield numerous tangible outcomes. Sometimes the most productive meetings are those where a single question or assumption is answered or clarified, thereby removing a blocker for someone else.”
“One person is accountable for keeping the meeting on track.”
“Be present with all attendees. This means actively listening, removing distractions, and participating in the meeting.”
“Don’t change topics of the discussion until the topic you are discussing has a well-defined solution that is agreed upon.”
“Have meetings when you need to decide. Leave updates to emails.”
Looking ahead
Meetings are more than agenda items and bookmarks in your day. They’re opportunities for real engagement, problem-solving, and decision-making. With this playbook, you’re equipped to transform every gathering from mundane to meaningful. Now, go and meet with purpose!
© 2024 Winter International LLC.
All rights reserved.
© 2024 Winter International LLC.
All rights reserved.