📋 Meetings
At Flexpa, our mission is to refactor healthcare, and we believe that well-specified, well-planned, well-run, and well-outputted meetings are necessary to achieve this goal. The most crucial belief regarding using meetings at Flexpa is to exercise common sense. To maximize productivity, engagement, and outcomes, we adhere to the following principles when it comes to meetings:
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Meetings must have a clear and specific purpose communicated to all participants in advance. This helps determine the necessity of the meeting, the required attendees, any required pre-work, and the agenda and format to follow. A clear purpose is essential to keep meetings on track and allows us to measure their success.
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Meetings must follow a realistic and structured agenda. The agenda should be distributed beforehand and reviewed at the start of the meeting. It should also provide flexibility and contingency plans for unexpected issues or delays. Participants in meetings without well-formed agendas should ask the organizer to reschedule.
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Meetings must be well facilitated, effective, and run respectfully. This involves encouraging participation from all attendees, managing conflicts constructively, and avoiding distractions. Communication skills like active listening, avoiding excessive reliance on slides and text-heavy presentations, asking questions, giving feedback, and summarizing key points are crucial. It’s important to remember that each participant has their preferred communication, learning, and participation styles. It’s the meeting organizer’s job to consider this to facilitate an inclusive environment that brings out the best in everyone.
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All meetings should have outputs when appropriate. Typical examples include sending a summary of key points, decisions, action items, and responsibilities to participants and stakeholders. Monitoring progress, supporting action item implementation, and holding individuals accountable for their commitments is essential. Strongly consider defaulting to sharing these outputs in public places such as Slack channels following the meeting.
It is essential to remember that meetings should serve as a means to achieve our goals rather than as an end. If a Flexpal thinks a meeting is necessary, they can call one, but our goal is always to strive to avoid unnecessary time wastage. If a Flexpal is in a meeting they believe isn’t necessary, we believe they should feel empowered to leave it. Our mission is to refactor healthcare, not waste time in meetings talking about refactoring healthcare.