The 75% solution
Like a lot offices, at our team meetings we have the usual "folkways and mores." These are usually implied ways to behave - like don't interrupt your co-worker when they are presenting (within reason).
One of our goals is to stick as much as possible to a 60-minute weekly meeting. Starting it at 10:30 means people will start to get hungry after an hour, which is handy for keeping us moving.
These aren't in-depth strategy meetings, though that sometimes happens. It's a mixture of weekly reporting, requests for ideas from the team and those occasional happy accidents of whimsy that result in good ideas.
A rule we laid out long ago was the ability for someone to invoke either the "Rule of 3/4" or the "Rule of 75." If the topic being discussed in depth is not germane to at least 75% of those in the room, then that topic, and those who are a part of it, needs to be another meeting.
We aren't always the best at keeping to this, but having it as an option and allowing someone to invoke it usually keeps us on track. And when you see eyes starting to shift or people grabbing for their phones during the meeting, it's almost the same as invoking it.
Having the right people talking about the right topic for the right length of time makes meetings better.
What works for your team?
Marketing Director at Costeaux French Bakery Cafe
6 年Love this lunch trick! Perfect!
Volo Chocolate
6 年A great rule of thumb!
Senior Regional Account Manager | CA - GA - HI - IN - ME - MI - NM - NV - OH - OR - PA - UT | AAA National
6 年This is why working remotely is ideal - I only participate in meetings that relevant for myself and can avoid those that are not. It's win-win and a proven theory as to why remote employees out-perform their in-office colleagues.
Sales & Marketing Director | Miami Beach Convention Center | OVG | Miami Meetings | Tourism
6 年Tim, you are confusing me with this sentence: "If the topic being discussed in depth is not germane to at least 75% of those in the room, then that topic, and those who are a part of it, needs to be another meeting." -- So would you agree, that if 75% of the people in the room are not German, then those people need to go to another meeting? This rule would work extremely well for our team :)