Loading…
13
The 3 hour kickoff call that should have been an email
Every month I join a discovery call where the stakeholder talks for a solid hour before anyone mentions the actual project goal. Last Tuesday in Portland I counted 27 minutes of tangents about logo history before we got to the real ask. I think we confuse talking with progress, so we over-schedule and under-prepare. The best meeting I had this month was a 15 minute check in where the other person sent a written brief first. How do you all cut through the noise when a client or boss wants to 'align' but not actually decide anything?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
nancy38d ago
The part nobody talks about is who runs the clock in those calls. In my experience the person who called the meeting feels zero pressure to wrap up because for them the talking itself is the win, they look busy and important. What worked for me was sending a short agenda two days ahead with one line at the top saying "if we don't get through this list, we'll finish it over email." Put the burden on paper instead of on the call. If there's no agenda by the day before, I ask what decision they need from me and often the whole thing turns into a two paragraph email instead.
-1
wood.emma8d ago
Send the agenda, then watch them cancel.
6