In this week’s issue:

• I led a bad meeting: what I learned for next time
• Warm-up and check-out questions you can use today
• Q: How do you set up a hybrid meeting (some in person, some remote) for success?
• Weekly bird break

A few weeks agoI led a meeting that went sideways.

Attendees were confused about why they were there.

We ran over by 10 minutes and two people walked out before it was done.

One attendee was silent for most of the meeting.

No clear action items came out of it.

The meeting ended and I was embarrassed. I literally deliver trainings on how to lead effective meetings!

After a quick defensive moment where I wanted to blame everyone but myself, I took time to write down reflections:

• What exactly didn’t go the way I hoped?
• What could I have done differently to improve the outcomes?
• What’s my immediate next step to make things right with this group?

My diagnosis:

• Unexpectedly hybrid. I thought we were all calling in, but my meeting co-leader and four others were together in a conference room.
• Co-leadership meant murky leadership. We were tacitly deferring to one another and missed opportunities to lead.
• No shared written agenda. My co-leader and I wrote one for ourselves, but because the context was sensitive, we didn't share it. Without a shared understanding of our objectives, there was nothing to anchor the group when the conversation meandered.

If I could do it again, here’s what I’d do:

For the hybrid setup: Ask in advance: who will be in person and who will be calling in? And how will the people in the room know when someone remote wants to speak?

For co-leadership: Acknowledge upfront that the person in the room probably needed to drive, and establish an open chat channel to coordinate logistics midstream.

For time and outcomes: Ground us in objectives at the top, and name that we didn't share an agenda and why. Be more assertive with 5 minutes remaining: name the time left and plan clear action steps, even if the next step was another conversation.

My immediate next steps:

• Debrief with my co-leader
• Own that it didn’t go as I’d hoped and my role in that outcome
• Send a follow-up note to the group within 24 hours thanking them for their time and outlining next steps

Next time a meeting goes sideways, ask yourself

Meeting Minute

​Warm-up question​

This is a pre-mortem question. Ask it at the beginning of an important meeting to surface potential blockers and get everyone thinking proactively about what success requires of the group. Works best when the group has clear objectives already stated. Use the responses to set clearer norms to keep the group on track.

​Check-out question​

Pluses reinforce what's working; deltas are forward-looking improvements. Frame delta as 'what would make the next meeting even better?' to keep the tone constructive. Give people a moment to think, then have people shout them out, put them in the chat, or write them on a whiteboard on their way out.

Q: How do you set up a hybrid meeting (some calling in, some in person) for success?

A: Most of these tips are better done in advance, though even doing a couple of these on the fly at the beginning of a hybrid meeting will be better than nothing!

Assign a buddy. Make sure the person or people on video have a direct line to someone in the room via chat, and give that person a job: it’s their responsibility to make sure the remote participant has a chance to contribute.

Call on them first. If you’re leading the meeting, start with the remote folks. It signals that they’re part of the conversation, not an afterthought, and it sets a tone for the rest of the group.

Set norms at the top. Name the dynamic before you dive in: “To make sure we hear from everyone in person and calling in, we’re going to be a little more structured than usual today.” Then when asking for input, use a round robin approach or pairs.

Think ahead about logistics. If you have physical handouts, prepare links to paste into the chat. If people are going to split into pairs or groups, put remote participants in their own breakout room. Be mindful about microphone placement and educate the group on how to make sure the remote folks hear them in the room.

The underlying principle: hybrid meetings aren’t inherently bad, but they can't be good if you don't think ahead about how to involve everyone.