There's a big elephant in the office today that's becoming harder to ignore—meetings. Even the best meetings can eat up massive person-hours, but those really awful ones will just kill you. You know the type. Those time-wasting, rudderless, repetitious, zombie meetings where "deep dives," "drill downs," and "face time" often mean much is debated, little is accomplished, and everybody leaves feeling broken--AND, often as not, late for their next meeting. In the premiere of this all-new presentation, Merlin Mann attacks Bad Meeting Culture with the same brand of practical, funny, and thought-provoking advice that his popular Inbox Zero talks brought to the topic of email. You'll learn: - what got us into this meeting mess - why meetings have special powers to waste time at scale - how "The 'Meh' Virus" propogates - why even scrums and one-on-ones aren't immune - how your meeting needs a parent - 10 insanely practical tactics for improving your own meetings--starting today

1. Broken Meetings
(and, how you will fix them)
by Merlin Mann
43Folders.com
Broken Meetings, by Merlin Mann is ©2010 Merlin Mann.
It is licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND License.
Based on a work at www.43folders.com.

2. ODEO OFFICE
THE CANNERY, 3RD ST.
October, 2005

3. Petty Crime
vs.
Manslaughter

4. Hell
is other people.
Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit (1944)

5. Hell
is other people’s
meetings.
Me, Here (2010)

6. “Tim”

7. [kill me hand]

8. Here’s the
problem.

9. Nobody thinks
their meetings
suck.

10. Ask around.

11. Treating
The “Meh”
VIRUS
(Before it kills again.)

12. There are many
crummy reasons
to call a meeting.

13. Bored
Dunno what else to do
Everybody calls meetings
Free snacks
Cool new laser pointer
Prefer to be seated
Need to just think out loud
Light in here’s so flattering
Not sure
Meetings are what I “do.”

14. For someone on the maker’s
schedule, having a meeting is
like throwing an exception.
It doesn’t merely cause you
to switch from one task to
another; it changes the
mode in which you work.
Paul Graham
bit.ly/9KHXHf

15. Where’s it hurt, people?
• Distracted & Bored
• Unprepared
• Apathetic
• Late, Late, Late
• Ragnarök

16. Ow. This does hurt.
• Lack of Focus
• Lack of Preparation
• Lack of Care
• Lack of Respect
• Lack of Parenting

17. Buh?
“Parenting?”

18. Yes.
“Parenting.”

19. Every meeting needs a
Parent
Because, it’s not all about
You
any more.
(Sorry.)

20. Key Thing
Don’t wait for others
to do the right thing.
You first.

21. Demand
First-Person
Transitive
“I verb noun.”

22. Verbs
are your job.
So, why not verb
your meetings?

23. Two
Heroes.

24. MR. MASON MR. HAND
PHOTO: THOMAS HAWK (RAY WALSTON)
http://i-0.us/cYTsdJ PHOTO: FAST TIMES

25. MR. MASON
PHOTO: THOMAS HAWK
bit.ly/cYTsdJ

26. MR. HAND
(RAY WALSTON)
PHOTO: FAST TIMES

27. Like,
HOW?

28. 10 Patterns
to Improve Meetings
1. Purpose 6. Timekeeper
2. Agenda 7. No Ratholes
3. Grazing 8. Focus
4. Edges 9. Follow-Up
5. Guests 10. Consistency

29. 1. Purpose
(set it and stick to it)

30. 2. Agenda
(set it and stick to it)

31. 3. Grazing Policy
(set it and stick to it)

32. 4. Edges
(set them and stick to them)

33. 5. Guests
(schedule them and stick to it)

34. 6. Timekeeper
(set “acts” and stick to it)

35. 7. No Ratholes
(set expectation then stick to it)

36. 8. Focus
(restate purpose and stick to it)

37. 9. Follow-Up
(set accountability then stick to it)

38. 10. Be Consistent
(yes: stick to that, most of all)

39. 10 Patterns
to Improve Meetings
1. Purpose 6. Timekeeper
2. Agenda 7. No Ratholes
3. Grazing 8. Focus
4. Edges 9. Follow-Up
5. Guests 10. Consistency

40. Caution!
Some of these
will get you killed
or fired.

41. Resolved.
Nothing matters
until it gets:
• a budget
• a deadline
• one owner
(otherwise it’s just a poster of a boat)

43. People aren’t
dumb.
They just chase
Big Dogs.

44. I know, I know:
“Too much!”
Fine. Start here…

45. The Four Quick Wins:
1. One Agenda
2. Two Hard Edges
3. Ruthless Grazing Policy
4. Transitive Follow-Up

46. 10 Patterns
to Improve Meetings
1. Purpose 6. Timekeeper
2. Agenda 7. No Ratholes
3. Grazing 8. Focus
4. Edges 9. Follow-Up
5. Guests 10. Consistency

47. Meeting
adjourned.
Thanks.

48. Broken Meetings
(and, how you will fix them)
by Merlin Mann
43Folders.com
Broken Meetings by Merlin Mann is ©2010 Merlin Mann.
It is licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND License.
Based on a work at www.43folders.com.