My five meeting vows. What are yours?

Meetings are often the worst part of the workday, and often consume most of it. If everyone committed to doing their part to improve meetings, imagine how much happier we’d all be.

Here’s how I vow to help. Add your vows in the comments, and make the world of meetings a better place.

I will never ever schedule a status meeting.
I will schedule discussions, ideation workshops, crisis resolutions and planning sessions. Status updates do not need meetings.

I will show up when I accept.
Showing up means being present, listening actively and participating thoughtfully.

I will let the leader lead.
As a control-freak project manager this is tough for me, but I will play the role I’ve been invited to play, and let the person running the meeting run the meeting.

I will constrain.
I will schedule meetings for the smallest time period practical, and invite the fewest number of participants needed to achieve the desired outcomes. Meetings expand to fit the time allotted, and more people often just add more side conversations.

I will share.
Meetings are not Las Vegas. What happens in the meeting usually should not stay in the meeting. I will ensure that those who need to know about what was discussed receive updates, and those who need to answer open issues know that their participation is needed.

What will you do? Share your ideas of how you can improve your meeting life in the comments.