Jeff Bezos Secrets for a Productive Meeting

Do you find meetings frustrating, unproductive and frustrating?

Meetings can make all the difference not only in terms of outcomes for the business but also your own success.

One of the turning points in my career was when I facilitated a workshop with all the GM's in Corporate Clients and that by the end we had all agreed an Action Plan on What needed to be done, by whom (buy-in/ownership) and by when.

I always made a point of being the one to take and circulate meeting notes and Actions

I have always been keen to learn from the best and build a repertoire of techniques on having productive and enjoyable meetings. (in person or online).

So for example here are the Jeff Bezos rules for meetings.

The core principles are prioritizing written information sharing over oral, minimizing time waste, maximizing participation, and ensuring accountability through pre-work, notes, andfollow-ups. The strictness helped enforce high standards.

• No PowerPoint presentations allowed. Discussions focus on narrated memos with detailed information.
• Meetings are capped at 30 minutes and start on time. Latecomers are locked out.
• An executive takes detailed notes and sends them out after. This frees participants from note-taking.
• Meetings have clear agendas circulated ahead of time so people can prepare.
• Presenters must submit material in writing before presenting verbally so people are informed.
• Time is left at the end for clarifying questions and open discussion.
• Side conversations and interruptions are prohibited to maintain focus.
• Attendees must carefully read material ahead of time for meaningful contribution.
• Meetings focus on making decisions, not just information sharing. Clear decision owners are designated.
• Post-meeting feedback is encouraged to improve next time

Other Best Practices

• Elon Musk's 80/20 rule - Only invite people who will add 80% of the value and results to avoid unnecessary participants.
• Facebook's 2-pizza rule - Limit meeting group size to what 2 pizzas can feed (~6-8 people) for more engaged discussion.
• Steve Jobs' walk meetings - Conduct meetings on walks which stimulates creativity and cuts unneeded formalities.
• Richard Branson's stand-up rule - Avoid chairs and have stand-up meetings to keep them short and energetic.
• Warren Buffet's 5-minute rule - Cover agenda topics in 5 minutes or less, or schedule separate meetings if more time needed.
• Easy access to whiteboards - Visually capture ideas, outline goals, clarify concepts during meetings.
• Establish a parking lot - Note extraneous ideas on a side whiteboard to discuss later and stay on topic.
• Tech-free meetings - Establish device/laptop-free meetings for full engagement and eye contact.
• Begin and end on time - Starting late encourages lateness; ending late causes frustration.
• Send pre-reads - Distribute relevant material beforehand for informed discussions.
• Use an agenda - Guide discussion efficiently with a clear, shared agenda. Review at end.
• Assign action items - Document task assignments and owners before adjourning. Follow up after.

Love to get your tips and techniques and feel free to comment or share your list of don'ts or message me if you want to know more.

#meetings

#onlinemeetings