Daniel Pink shares three strategies from meeting expert Stephen Rogelberger: every meeting must serve one of four purposes (deciding, discussing, debating, developing) or become a note instead. Write agendas as specific questions, not topics. And ditch the default one-hour slot for shorter blocks like 25 or 38 minutes, since work expands to fill the time.
Stephen Rogelberger is the world's leading expert on the science of meetings. Here are 3 ways he says you can improve any meeting you have. Number 1, make the meeting earn its place. Before you send the invite, ask whether the meeting is for one of 4 things: deciding, discussing, debating, or developing. If it's only for sharing information, skip the meeting, send a note. Number 2, write the agenda as questions, not topics. Marketing is not an agenda item. How do we increase renewals by 10% is. A good question creates focus, reveals who actually needs to be there, and tells you when the conversation is finished. Number 3, stop defaulting to 1 hour. 60 minutes isn't a law of nature. It's a software setting. Try 25 minutes or 40 or even 38. Work expands to fill the time you give it, so give it less. Better meetings begin with 3 questions. Should we meet? What must we accomplish? And how quickly can we do it?
