Avoid meetings

We avoid meetings as much as possible. Meetings should be a last resort escalation for things that can’t be solved asynchronously.

Why avoid

• We avoid meetings because they don't support the asynchronous workflow and are hard to conduct due to time zone differences.
• We avoid brainstorming meetings because brainstorming is more effectively done asynchronously. People converge way too quickly in a meeting, which is the opposite of what brainstorming is about.
• We avoid ad-hoc meetings because:
  1. Each one requires coordination of attendees, and with many different time zones, it’s hard, so time is wasted.
  2. The lack of a clear structure can often lead to unproductive meetings.

How to know if a meeting is needed

• First, ask what the objective of the meeting is if it’s not already there.
• Then see if the objective can’t be solved directly by messages.
• If it does, cancel the meeting.

How to make the best of a meeting

• Record the conclusion of each talking point. Use ⇒ to signal it.
• End meetings with an action plan with: 1. who does, 2. what, and 3. when.

Recording meetings

General

If a transcript is enough, you can use ‣

If you need a full video, use the same steps as in Managing videos

Sales

The sales team is using: ‣ for transcript and video recordings.

Meeting times