More effective team meetings

    For years and years, I have attended countless number idle team meetings. Sometimes they happen to be recurring meetings without a clear agenda. Generally, I carried a notebook and pencil for the team meeting, and most members did the same as not doing so will look impolite. Someone asked to take the meeting notes will ping the members even after the meeting to help recount the discussion. It is harder to timebox a discussion and measure the outcomes this way.

A good plan will make the meeting more effective. It also helps maintain the focus. Identify what you need to do before, during, and after the meeting.

The one conducting the meeting should track the tasks against each person in an Excel spreadsheet or a Confluence page. Mark the progress of the tasks during the meeting with inputs from the members.

If we need to discuss individual contributions, we can have a PowerPoint presentation with one slide for each member. The same approach can work for discussing new updates and features.

Make sure to applaud good work. It goes a long way in motivating people.

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The ability to learn is the key to survival. We can learn faster by learning from each other.