Making Meetings Matter: Part II
| February 4, 2025Structured well, meetings become productive spaces for team alignment, problem-solving, and clear next steps
Some meetings spark ideas, solve problems, and leave you feeling it was time well spent. Others feel like treading water — lots of motion, but going nowhere fast.
IN Part I, we broke down the essentials: setting clear goals, timing meetings wisely, and assigning roles that keep things on track. Those basics are like the frame of a house — necessary to hold everything up, but not enough to make it feel alive.
Now, it’s time to tackle what happens inside that frame. What if disagreements weren’t awkward but energizing? What if a casual remark during a meeting held the key to your next breakthrough? And what if a Zoom call went beyond simply functioning to genuinely connecting people across time zones?
Tools for Success
Many meetings, particularly those in the informational category, are typically structured to share essential updates or knowledge. Guy Kawasaki, a renowned marketer and venture capitalist, developed the 10/20/30 rule to keep presentations sharp and engaging.
His formula is simple: ten slides, 20 minutes, and a minimum font size of 30 points. The rule was initially created for entrepreneurs pitching ideas, but it’s just as effective for internal meetings.
Limiting yourself to ten slides forces you to distill your message to its essence. Sticking to 20 minutes respects attention spans and leaves space for meaningful discussion. And using a 30-point font means you’ll avoid cramming slides with text, keeping your presentation clean and impactful.
But what about meetings that go beyond presentations?
That’s where the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) comes in. Popularized by Gino Wickman in his book Traction (BenBella Books), EOS is a systematic approach to running businesses and their meetings. At its heart are weekly Level 10 Meetings.
These 90-minute sessions follow a consistent agenda: review key metrics (called “scorecards”), assess progress on priorities (known as “rocks”), share updates, and then, the bulk of the meeting is IDS — identify, discuss, and solve pressing issues through a structured framework. This method ensures meetings are focused, repeatable, and actionable, with every topic tied to measurable outcomes.
EOS integrates weekly meetings with quarterly and annual planning. Every 90 days, teams pause to realign their goals and priorities. Annually, they zoom out even further, revisiting the organization’s vision and strategies to ensure long-term alignment.
What makes EOS especially powerful is its emphasis on accountability. All participants know exactly what they’re responsible for, how their success is measured, and how their work contributes to the bigger picture.
For those looking for a faster-paced alternative, standup meetings offer another way to keep momentum high. In these quick, chair-free check-ins, participants stand, which naturally encourages brevity and focus.
At Temech, our tech interns hold a standup meeting daily. They don’t even use a conference room; I know I’m running late if I have to excuse myself when I walk down the hall on my way to say good morning to my team.
Standup meetings typically last no more than 15 minutes and are best suited for updates or alignment on immediate tasks. The simplicity of standing reminds everyone to stay on point, cutting through the clutter that can bog down longer sessions.
When structured well, meetings become productive spaces for team alignment, problem-solving, and clear next steps.
Bridging the Distance
Remote meetings are a reality for many teams. While they offer the convenience of global collaboration, they often lack the chemistry of in-person connection. While the tools to bring us together have never been better, the challenges of Zoom fatigue, disengagement, and a sense of detachment are all too real.
These strategies can make those inevitable remote meetings more engaging and effective:
Establish a clear meeting structure — Distribute a clear agenda in advance so participants can prepare effectively. Allocate time for each topic to address key points, avoid time-wasting, and keep the meeting on track.
Cameras on — Seeing each other’s faces fosters presence and connection. Nonverbal cues like nods and smiles humanize interactions and help build rapport. Encourage participants to use Grid View so everyone feels equally engaged.
Digital icebreakers — Start meetings with a light activity to build rapport — such as a quick poll, a fun question, or a short game. These moments set a relaxed, collaborative tone and help participants feel more connected before diving into the agenda.
Leverage interactive features — Use the interactive tools available on your platform to enhance engagement and collaboration. Features like polls, breakout rooms, and chat functions can make discussions more dynamic and participatory.
Utilize collaborative tools — Enhance teamwork by incorporating screen sharing for visual alignment, shared document editing for real-time input, and digital whiteboarding for brainstorming sessions. These tools make remote meetings feel more collaborative and productive.
Follow up effectively — Reinforce the meeting’s outcomes by sharing concise summaries of key decisions, distributing clear action items, and gathering participant feedback to improve future meetings. A strong follow-up process ensures the momentum continues after the session ends.
It’s easy to overdo remote meetings. Endless video calls for minor updates can quickly lead to disengagement. Before scheduling yet another Zoom, ask yourself: Could this be an email or a prerecorded video update instead?
Conflict Done Right
Morten Hansen’s Great at Work provides a roadmap for constructive conflict in meetings:
Show up to every meeting 100 percent prepared. Preparation ensures you contribute depth and accuracy, setting the stage for meaningful dialogue.
Craft an opinion and deliver it with conviction (and data). Opinions backed by evidence foster vigorous discussions, encouraging others to engage seriously.
Stay open to others’ ideas, not just your own. True collaboration happens when you see value in perspectives you might not have considered.
Let the best argument win, even if it isn’t yours — and often it isn’t. Prioritizing the team’s success over personal pride fosters better decisions and stronger relationships.
Present passionately but never make the argument personal. Passion energizes debates, but staying respectful keeps them constructive.
Always listen — really listen — to minority views. Minority voices often challenge assumptions, pushing the team toward innovative and unexpected solutions.
Never pursue consensus for its own sake. Forced agreement risks mediocrity; instead, aim for decisions that balance diverse input with clear direction.
Turning Conflict into Collaboration
Conflict in meetings often gets a bad rap. It’s seen as disruptive, unproductive, even divisive. However, conflict can be the fuel that powers innovation, sharpens decision-making, and strengthens team alignment.
Morten Hansen, a management professor at UC Berkeley and author of Great at Work (Simon & Schuster), wanted to crack the code on workplace performance. Why do some people consistently outperform others? His deep dive into the subject unearthed an unexpected gem: a case study in productive conflict.
While analyzing data for a performance ranking of 2,000 CEOs worldwide, Hansen stumbled on something curious at number 16. Listed among tech titans like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos was Bart Becht, CEO of Reckitt Benckiser — a London-based company that sells everyday items like dishwasher soap.
Curious how a consumer goods company could rank alongside the world’s most celebrated innovators, Hansen headed to their headquarters in Slough. What he found was a meeting culture that flipped the script on workplace harmony.
Freddy Caspers, a Reckitt Benckiser executive, recalled his surprise when he joined in 2001. Meetings weren’t polite, orderly affairs. Instead, they were intense, dynamic, and loud — with people jumping up, passionately arguing, and engaging in what Caspers described as “mental fights.” But it wasn’t chaos; it was collaboration on steroids (see sidebar for details).
In many workplaces, people fake agreement in the conference room, only to grumble in private or subtly resist the plan later. Reckitt Benckiser’s approach — what Hansen calls “fight and unite” — takes the opposite route. It encourages vigorous debate while the decision is being made, but demands complete buy-in once the call is final.
Constructive conflict can help us uncover blind spots and challenge assumptions, and force teams to consider alternative perspectives. It’s not about “winning” the argument — it’s finding the best solution. When teams embrace healthy debate, decisions are more thoroughly vetted, and alignment strengthens because every voice has been heard.
Nothing Like Face-to-Face
While all these suggestions can maximize remote meetings, never underestimate the power of even occasional in-person connection.
A friend of mine, an Israeli graphic designer working for a large US-based firm, experienced this firsthand. Her role was highly specialized, and most of her interactions with the team were transactional — quick emails or file uploads.
“Aside from the lead designer and a project manager, I barely knew their names,” she admitted.
When she flew to the US for a family wedding, she offered to meet her team in person. They jumped at the chance and arranged a morning meetup at a café.
“We hardly talked about work,” she said. “The boss brought a fun word-association game, and we spent a few hours enjoying delicious food and schmoozing.”
The impact was immediate. Suddenly, she was included in group chats, invited to collaborate on more significant projects, and felt like an integral part of the team.
“I went from feeling like a clock-in-clock-out worker to being an active contributor,” she said.
I’ve experienced this as well. There’s a foundation I’d been in touch with for nearly a year, exchanging emails and occasional updates. Then, just before Covid broke out, I happened to be in the States and suggested we meet in person.
We spent an hour discussing Temech and our shared vision. A few months later, they provided us with emergency Covid funding — without us even having to ask. That meeting built a rapport that no number of emails could have achieved.
So if it’s at all possible, try to bring your team together in person at least once a year.
Where Ideas Take Flight
A great meeting isn’t just about sticking to the agenda — it’s about creating a space where ideas flow freely, disagreements lead to breakthroughs, and all participants feel their voice matters. Approach each meeting purposefully, and watch how it moves your mission forward.
Off Topic, On Point
Meetings are designed for focus, yet sometimes, the most meaningful moments come from unexpected detours. When managed well, these tangents can offer insights, unearth hidden priorities, and build connections.
I recently met with the CEO of a large company, someone I’ve known for years. I had just an hour to make my case and knew exactly what I needed from him. But for the first half hour, he launched into his perspective on the war and its impact on Israel. Fascinating, sure, but entirely unrelated to my agenda.
Hashem helped. Instead of rushing to redirect the conversation, I leaned in. I listened carefully, asked thoughtful questions, and allowed the conversation to flow naturally. Around the 30-minute mark, something clicked. He brought up a point tangentially connected to my goal. That was my opening.
“I’m so glad you mentioned that,” I replied, “it ties directly into what I wanted to discuss with you.” From there, we dove into the topic at hand, and the meeting ended in success.
That half hour of “off-topic” conversation wasn’t wasted; it was essential. It revealed his current priorities and concerns, giving me the context to steer the discussion effectively.
Researcher Osnat Meron calls these moments “serendipity hooks” — deliberate actions or mindsets that create discovery opportunities. By fostering open conversations and embracing flexibility, you can uncover people’s deeper needs, desires, or fears — valuable information that might otherwise remain hidden. The key is to approach tangents with curiosity rather than frustration.
Practically, this means allowing some room for conversational detours while keeping the larger agenda in mind. Build a little flexibility into your schedule, listen actively for the emotions or concerns underlying the tangent, and when it’s time, gently pivot back to your main point. This approach makes the tangent productive without letting it hijack the entire meeting.
Margo Aaron, a copywriting expert, emphasizes the importance of meeting people where they already are. If your audience is preoccupied with something unrelated to your message — like a looming tax deadline — find a way to connect your pitch to what’s already on their mind.
This principle applies to meetings, too. Often, chitchat or tangents reveal what’s occupying someone’s thoughts. Instead of pushing past it, utilize it. Understanding their preoccupations gives you a strategic advantage. With a bit of patience and an open mind, the “off-topic” can often become the very thing that drives your meeting’s success.
(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1048)
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