Meetings Protocol

Meetings are moments when things are discussed, understood and planned. A meeting brings participants to the same information about a selection of topics. Discussion builds shared mental models of them. Once everyone shares that understanding, a decision or plan can follow.

Information can be exchanged in two ways, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses:

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• Asynchronous: chat channels, shared documents, written proposals. Everyone reads and responds in their own time and pace.
• Synchronous: meetings, in person or by call. Everyone is present at the same time.

Neither is enough on its own:

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Asynchronous work carries most of the load: it spreads information, gathers questions, and settles everything that writing can settle. It prepares the synchronous alignment, so a meeting only has to close the gaps that remain. A meeting is needed only when the subject is complex enough, or when it is clear that not everyone is on the same page: the written discussion keeps circling, or contradictory readings appear.

The two also check each other. A meeting clears up the misunderstandings and biases that writing lets stand. Writing, in turn, keeps meetings from multiplying: questions that come up in a meeting are captured, then clarified in writing, and only come back to a meeting if writing has failed to settle them.

Meetings are expensive

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Every hour in a meeting is an hour from every participant: time taken from work, care and rest (see Way of Work ). Long, unstructured meetings are one of the main reasons committed people burn out and leave. So the true cost is not just measured in the total hours spent in meetings, but also their impact on motivation, health and performance. That is why we hold meetings sparingly and only on request, do everything that can be done in writing beforehand, and keep the meeting itself for what needs everyone at once. Events for socializing should be kept seperately from goal-driven occations.

The meeting protocol

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A meeting protocol is how we make this work. Every meeting gets one: a single page that answers, before the meeting, everything a participant needs to know. The protocols are listed in the Links menu. The Directives Meeting Protocol serves as the example throughout this page.

The three phases

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Every meeting has three phases, and each has its own tasks and people responsible for them:

1. Preparation

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Preparation starts with a question: does this need a meeting at all? Information that only needs to be read is sent in writing, and questions are first raised in the written discussion. A meeting is only called when written exchange is not enough, in one of two cases:

• The subject is complex enough that questions and answers need to go back and forth quickly.
• It is clear that not everyone is on the same page, for example because the written discussion keeps circling or contradictory readings appear.

Even then, the meeting needs a clear goal. Without one, there is no meeting.

If a meeting is needed, the coordinator will take care that:

• The protocol page is published as soon as possible.
• The invitation has gone out to the people the meeting is for, with the place and the link.
• Documents, presentations, questions and comments have been made available in writing. Nothing will be read aloud in the meeting that could have been read beforehand.
• The open questions from the written discussion are being collected and added to the agenda.

Participants prepare too: they read the materials and note their points in advance in the dedicated chat. Anyone who could not prepare is not expected to take part, and that is fine.

2. The meeting

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The meeting follows the agenda and nothing else. Three roles keep it on track, and they rotate between meetings:

• Facilitator: moderates every meeting. Leads through the agenda, gives everyone a turn, and consistently stops deviations from the topic. New topics that come up are put on the topic parking lot, a visible list of points for later, so they are neither lost nor discussed now. Open, unstructured discussion has its place, just not in a meeting.

  Before a decision, the facilitator also checks for shared understanding, which is what makes a meeting better than a document. For instance, they give a concrete example and ask how it would play out, or ask a participant to explain the point in their own words. If the explanations differ, the group is not yet aligned, and that gap is what the remaining time is for.

• Timekeeper: keeps the remaining time visible to everyone throughout the meeting, on a time bar or a clock, and announces the end of each time box. When a time box runs out, the item is not extended.

• Note-taker: documents the meeting: decisions with their main arguments, open questions, the parking lot, and who does what by when. What is not in the minutes did not happen.

Everyone else contributes by the same rules: be kind, assertive and empathetic. Wait your turn and think before talking. Get to the point, argue with tangible facts rather than emotions, and park your ego. What matters is advancing our political goals, not who is right.

Anything that is not decided within its time box follows the stuck decision protocol (see Tactics ). Discussion stops, two people write a proposal within a week, and the decision is taken in writing or at the next meeting. Nobody wins by exhaustion.

3. Follow-up

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Within a specified timeframe after the meeting:

• The minutes are published where everyone can read them, including those who did not attend. Thanks to them, nobody misses anything.
• Every task from the meeting has a named person and a deadline.
• Proposals for undecided items are written and shared.
• Each point on the topic parking lot is assigned: to written discussion, to a future meeting, or dropped. That decision is recorded too. New uncertainties go to written discussion first. A further meeting is only scheduled if writing has failed to settle them.
• Ideally: The organizers run a 30-minute after-action review (or asynchronously in a chat). What did we plan? What happened? Why the difference? What will we do differently? The answers go into the next protocol.

Every meeting protocol is built from six blocks

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A few rules for writing each block:

• Objectives, not topics. “Discuss the directives” is a topic. “Agree on a draft of the directives, or a proposal and a date for deciding” is an objective. Each objective states its expected outcome, so everyone can tell afterwards whether it was reached.
• SMART objectives. Every objective is formulated SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
• A plan for every objective. The agenda items under an objective are its plan: the concrete steps that get from the start of the time box to the outcome.
• Time boxes add up. Each objective gets a fixed time, split into agenda items, and the total is the length of the meeting. Two objectives are usually enough. We aim for 90 minutes at most, and less is better.
• Name the responsible person. Every task has a person or role next to it. A task without a name is not done. Open roles are marked TBD until someone volunteers.
• Say why each material matters. A reading list without a reason is homework. Each material states what it contributes to which objective, and points to the exact section, page or timestamp.

Taking part

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Not everyone needs to attend every meeting, and not everyone needs to take part in the same way. Each protocol says who the meeting is for, and offers three levels of participation, each with a few minimal requirements:

• Active participation: you take part in discussion and decisions. You have prepared the materials, sent your questions and comments in advance, and attend the whole meeting.
• Passive participation: you listen in and stay informed, without deciding. No preparation is needed, and questions in the chat are welcome. This is also the place for anyone who could not prepare.
• Non-participation: you don’t attend, but stay in the loop. You read the minutes afterwards and can raise objections in writing within a week. They are taken up before any decision is final.

There is no pressure to attend. Not preparing is not a failure. It just means your time is better spent elsewhere this time, and the minutes will tell you everything. Written objections count as much as spoken ones, so people with little time, care work or irregular hours still have a voice, and decisions do not depend on who could attend at a given hour.

Writing a new protocol

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Before publishing, check:

• Could this be done in writing instead? Is the subject complex enough, or are people clearly not on the same page?
• Is every objective SMART, with its expected outcome, its plan and its time box?
• Do the time boxes add up to 90 minutes or less?
• Is it clear who the meeting is for, and who can skip it?
• Does every task in every phase have a name or role, including facilitator, timekeeper and note-taker?
• Does every material say why it matters, and is everything that can be read beforehand in the materials?
• Is there a visible timer and a topic parking lot ready for the meeting?