On Completing Meetings

“The main purpose of a discussion is to achieve completion and get in sync, which leads to decisions and/or actions. Conversations that fail to reach completion are a waste of time. When there is an exchange of ideas, it is important to end it by stating the conclusions. If there is agreement, say it; if not, say that. When further action has been decided, get those tasks on a to-do list, assign people to do them, and specify due dates. Write down your conclusions, working theories and to-do’s in places that will lead to their being used as foundations for continued progress. To make sure this happens, assign someone to make sure notes are taken and follow-through occurs.”

Ray Dalio - https://ideas.ted.com/9-common-sense-rules-for-getting-the-most-out-of-meetings/. There are some things to do over email, some that require a quick call or teams chat, and then there is the need for people to solve problems together in meetings. The answer to bad meetings is not no meetings, but good ones, and this essay summarizes a few tips. The final takes a bit of work, but is crucial to take action notes, tagged with responsible parties and deadlines. Next meeting follows up to note progress. It also provides a nice list of accomplishments and records if anyone asks or needs accountability in future. The holidays are a time away from such things, but this was a helpful reminder for the new year.