Fundamentals of working - #4. Meetings

How much time do you spend in meetings?

And how much of that time is actually useful?

A good meeting doesn't just happen. It needs a little thought before everyone joins the room — or the Teams call.

One of my favourite definitions of facilitation is:

“To make easy.”

That is exactly what a good meeting should do.

Start with the 4 Ps

Before you send the invite, think about:

• P — Papers - What does everyone need to see or read beforehand?
• P — Purpose - Why are we having this meeting? What do we need to achieve?
• P — Place - Where is the best place for this conversation — room, Teams, or perhaps somewhere else?
• P — People - Who actually needs to be there?

Then think about the structure.

Could you keep it to an hour or less?
Could you get to the important conversations before everyone's energy starts to dip?

I also like allocating simple roles:

Chair | Timekeeper | Note taker

It means everyone knows what they are responsible for and the meeting doesn't rely on one person doing everything. If the meeting is online the note taker will be responsible for recording and sending a transcript.

And don't forget the car park.

Good conversations often generate other good conversations. But that doesn't mean they all need to happen now.

"That's a really good point. Let's put it in the car park and come back to it separately."

A good meeting creates space for people to contribute, challenge, solve problems and make decisions.

The facilitator isn't there to have all the answers.

They're there to make it easier for the team to find them.

So before your next meeting, ask yourself:

What's the purpose?
Who needs to be there?
And what do we want to be different when we leave?

Simple doesn't mean easy.

It means thought through.



I work with Leaders and professionals to turn good intentions into practical, lasting changes.