Ep. 113 - Kill Bad Meetings! Breaking the boring meeting curse once and for all #113
We spend up to 70% of our workweeks sitting in pointless meetings that could have been simple emails. What if you could break the boring meeting curse in just 20 minutes?
Let's be honest: we are all exhausted by pointless, recurring calendar invites. For forty years, professionals have been complaining about bad meetings, yet very little has actually changed. We continue to sit through boring status updates, get trapped in default 60-minute calendar slots, and secretly check our emails in silence while one loud voice dominates the room.
In this spontaneous Walk & Talk, Gary and George unpack the ultimate playbook for breaking the boring meeting curse once and for all. Gary shares his practical "3 Ds" framework (Decide, Design, Diagnose) to ensure every meeting has a singular, razor-sharp focus. They explore how to politely decline useless invites, why AI note-takers are actually a lazy crutch, and why you should start your next session by doing "Any Other Business" (AOB) first.
Whether you are a manager trying to run more efficient teams or an employee drowning in Zoom invites, this episode offers a refreshing, tactical take on workplace productivity. Learn how to handle virtual multitasking, why you should ban hybrid meetings entirely, and how asking a simple "no constraints" question can completely transform your group decision-making.
Key takeaways from this episode:
The 3 Ds (+ Connect): Every meeting must have one sole objective. Are you there to Decide something, Design something, or Diagnose a problem? If it's none of these, use that time to Connect (lobby and align) before the formal meeting even starts.
Kill the Default Slots: 30 and 60-minute slots are productivity traps. Start booking 17, 22, or 23-minute meetings to instantly grab people's attention and force tighter, more efficient conversations.
Stop the Multitasking (It's Your Fault): If people are visibly doing emails during your virtual meeting, it's because you aren't engaging them. Keep them present by constantly asking direct, targeted questions.
Ditch Status Updates: A status update is a waste of live meeting time. Move status updates to concise emails, voice notes, or recorded video updates sent out in advance, and use live meeting times only for real-time collaboration.
Links & references:
Gary Gamp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garygamp
George Clode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeclode
The Company Doctor: https://www.thecompanydoctor.com/
Highlights:
“What would happen if you just canceled all the repeat meetings in your diary? Do you think it would make a difference?” - [02:10] - Gary Gamp
“Use AI, but use it to prepare the meeting rather than to take notes at the meeting... because that's what everyone's doing with AI. They're just using it as a crutch in the way they used to do it.” - [06:13] - Gary Gamp
“The quiet ones are not the ones that don't have the answer... the point is getting the cross-section of experience in the room. Otherwise, what's the point of having your meeting?” - [11:56] - Gary Gamp
“If there were no constraints... what would you do? All of a sudden people's brain goes to, weirdly, a different place where they're much more productive.” - [16:01] - Gary Gamp
“If it's not important to them and they're doing their emails, it's our fault running the meeting, not theirs. It's disrespectful from them, but it's our fault because we're not engaging them.” - [17:15] - Gary Gamp
“Have 'me' and 'we' meetings... If you're gonna be together, be all together. But you're setting yourself up to fail if you allow people to be involved in a hybrid meeting.” - [18:11] - Gary Gamp
