Just Say No — to Bad Meetings. How to Make Your Meetings More Positive and Productive

Originally published on JOTFORM.COM

It was Friday at 4pm.

Our product teams were presenting the results of a fun hack week. One group shared a QR code, so we installed their multiplayer quiz app and started to compete.

The first quiz was called, “How well do you know JotForm?”

Given that I founded the company 13 years ago, you would think I’d have an unfair advantage.

I placed 18th.

I got stuck on a question about our mascot, Podo. I was slower than my staff, too.

Regardless, the afternoon was so much fun. We laughed and talked and I felt proud of what the teams created. It was like a productive party.

Technically, this was a demo day, which is one of our few scheduled meetings. Every Friday, our teams show what they’ve learned or built throughout the week.

Demo days aren’t status meetings; we share tangible results, not droning updates. And we keep it short. An hour, max. Show your work or a quick video clip and let’s move on.

I share this story, because I believe that all meetings are not created equal. They’re not necessarily a “scourge” on your company.