Product teams host countless meetings, both in and out of the Agile ceremonies. There are workshops, brainstorming sessions, stakeholder read-outs, initiative discussions, user feedback sessions, and many more. Product leaders bring people together to share ideas and create results. Being able to host an effective meeting is a skill any product manager should be adept at.
Purpose
The most important part of a meeting is knowing why you are there. Every gathering should have a crystal-clear purpose, more than the general category of meeting. For example, “one-on-one” is not a purpose.
Effective naming of the meeting can be one way to communicate its purpose. By naming the gathering on the invitation and repeating the name in reminder emails, you create a sense of belonging before anyone enters the (virtual) room. Names can create social contracts. The best names help us understand our role at the event and help us to understand that we’re a part of something.
Even small nuances in naming are noticeable and important: Update is different than discussion; Workshop is more structured than brainstorm; Catch-up is more casual than one-on-one.
Think through your naming – how can you convey the most information, have the attendees feel not only that they belong but that they are true participants in the purpose.
Attendees
Priya Parker, in The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, states: “Thoughtful, considered exclusion is vital to any gathering.”
Think through who will help fulfill and forward the purpose, and who will not. Who are you inviting out of obligation? Different organizations have different cultural norms around meeting attendees - learn your organization’s unwritten (or written) rules here, but also be willing to stretch them make it work for your gathering. My current organization is a consensus organization that loves to share information, so often invites will get forwarded to additional attendees. For more structured or meaningful gatherings, it might be a good idea to turn off this feature in Outlook or put a note in the invite to not do so.
Format
The attendees should be prepared for the format of the meeting. Are you sharing materials in advance that they need to read / prepare comments on? Should they come prepared to engage or will they be mostly listening and then walking away with homework? Are multiple people hosting or presenting materials?
Think through the before, during, and after. Will you need tools like whiteboards if in person, or a prepped Miro template if virtual? Do you want to do a poll or survey during the meeting? How will you follow up on any ideas or action items after the meeting?
During the Meeting
Priya Parker is adamant to resist the urge to start your meeting with logistics or reminders. Instead launch in a way that sets the tone for the rest of your time together. If this is a team that meets often or a meeting that occurs at a regular cadence, consider creating a ritual that sets the stage. This is why radio shows and podcasts have theme songs - it alerts listeners that the content is starting and cues them to listen more attentively. (For one of my recurring meetings, this is as simple as sharing a Miro board link in the chat. As soon as I do that, the chitchat ceases and we are down to business.)
Involve participants in the meeting by asking for help. When you help contribute to something, you feel a part of it - so even though we are afraid to burden folks by asking for help, this can be beneficial for all involved. The asks can be very low stakes - ask someone to record the meeting, or share a link, or pass out sticky notes if you are in person. These micro-moments help move us toward belonging.
Throughout the meeting, promote debate and meaningful interactions. Look for a healthy tension as people discuss ideas. If you shy away from difficult topics, you might not arrive at the best solution, or let all diverse perspectives be heard. Parker says, “Good controversy can make a gathering mattering more,” and it can certainly make it more memorable.
Ending
Just as you begin intentionally, end intentionally. What can a deliberate conclusion look like? One way is to simply plan enough time for attendees to reflect on the meeting and what happened.
Part of leaving the meeting space, especially for longer gatherings or workshops, is prepping to reenter the world. Ideally you made a new space, and it will feel like a departure to leave it. So how can we connect this gathering to the day-to-day? How can a part of this event or these learnings stay with attendees? Parker states: “Part of preparing guests for reentry is helping them find a thread to connect the world of the gathering to the world outside.”
After the meeting, be sure to follow up on any action items and distribute artifacts that were created. Depending on the meeting, these actions could happen once, soon after conclusion, or multiple times over the course of days or weeks.
The only way to improve your meeting hosting / leading skills is to practice. Luckily, product teams provide many opportunities to do just that. Trainings and reflection activities can also help bolster this skill. See below for a stand-up activity that does just that.
STAND-UP EXERCISE
In preparation, have your team review Priya Parker’s blog, or even better, read her book: The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters
Ask the team to reflect on intentional and meaningful gatherings they have been a part of, whether virtually, hybrid, or in-person. Look for similarities of these events, and what can be learned or replicated. How can they take these elements back to their own meetings?
