Alex’s rules for hosting meetings

People leave every meeting with an itch. It’s either an itch to get away as fast as possible, or an itch to get to work.

Which itch do you want?

Several years ago, Marissa Mayer’s rules for meetings at Google garnered high praise for being efficient and leading to better productivity. I adapted them for my own meetings and loved the results. They’re worth reviewing.

From Meetings by Google

1. Set a firm agenda
2. Assign a note-taker.
3. Carve out micro-meetings.
4. Hold office hours.
5. Discourage politics, use data.
6. Stick to the clock.

It’s about setting expectations. If you’re on the agenda, you’ll be heard and you’ll be done on time. No need to interrupt. Also, there will be meeting notes later, so you’ll have time to respond in a meaningful way.

Respect everyone’s time and make sure they know what to expect. They’ll thank you for it.