10x your meeting output

Ready to blast off into a world of hyper-productivity? Buckle up, because we're about to flip the script on those snooze-fest meetings you've been enduring.

But before we dive in, let's talk about why Work Sessions (aka meetings that actually get stuff done) are incredibly important:

Wanna grow? You gotta act.
Wanna act? You gotta decide.
Wanna decide? You need your team's brainpower.
Want their brainpower? You gotta hear their ideas.
Want ideas? You need a meeting. But not just any meeting – a mind-blowing, effective, result-focused one, hence, a Work Session.

The Meeting Nightmare We All Know (and Hate)

We've all been there, right? Those endless gabfests where talk is cheap, decisions are MIA, and the only thing you accomplish is scheduling yet another meeting. 🥴

But what if I told you there's an escape hatch from this meeting hellscape? Intrigued? You should be!

Enter the Work Session: Where Magic Happens and Stuff Gets Done

Picture this: A world where meetings aren't time-sucking vortexes, but rocket fuel for your productivity. Where decisions aren't kicked down the road, but made on the spot. Even better – where action isn't just talked about, it's set in motion.

But be prepared: These sessions aren't for the faint of heart. Think you can handle it?

Unleashing the Work Session Wizardry

Now, you're probably thinking, "Sounds awesome, but how do I make this magic happen?" 🤔 Glad you asked! Because turning your snoozefests into Work Sessions isn't about rejigging your calendar – it's about rewiring your mindset and revamping your process.

It all boils down to three game-changing ingredients:

1. Taking the bull by the horns (aka. taking responsibility) 🦸🏻‍♂️

2. Goal-setting, prep work & structure (the holy trinity) 🧭

3. Facilitation, teamwork & decision-making (where the rubber meets the road) 🚀

Is it a ton of work? Nah, don’t worry.
Is it intense? You bet your bottom dollar.

Ready to Dive In?

With a bit of practice, nailing those three elements will take you just 15-20 minutes in preparation per Work Session. The payoff? No more unnecessary follow-ups, amped-up efficiency, and team members who actually look forward to meetings — yeah, you read that right!

1. Grab the Reins

Every meeting needs a ringleader – that's you. You're the captain of this ship, making sure elements 2 and 3 are locked and loaded.

Don't sweat it – you don't have to do it all yourself. Just make sure it gets done, whether by you or your trusty sidekick (hello, facilitator or agile coach).

2. Set Goals, Prep Like a Pro & Structure for Success

A meeting without a goal is like shooting arrows in the dark – you might hit something, but it probably won't be what you're aiming for. So:

• Goal-setting: Spend 5 minutes figuring out what you want to achieve in your upcoming Work Session.

• Prep work: Take 30 seconds (yep, that's all!) to set up a digital whiteboard everyone can access with your preferred tool (Miro, Teams, Freeform…).

• Structure: Invest 10-15 minutes creating a roadmap that'll guide your crew through the session.

3. Facilitate, Collaborate & Make the Call

You want all hands on deck, not passengers snoozing in the back. Here's how:

• Facilitation: Keep everyone on track and focused on the prize.

• Collaboration: Give everyone a chance to flex their mental muscles.

• Decision-making: With all that brainpower at work, you'll need to prioritize and make the tough calls.

Sounds a bit theoretical, right? Let's make it real with a juicy example...

The "Oh Crap, Our Competitor Just Changed the Game" Scenario

Imagine this: Your arch-nemesis just announced a partnership that could turn your industry upside down. Your mission? Get your A-team's take on how this could impact your business.

Here's how you could run this as a Work Session:

Your goal

Get a high-level assessment from your team on what could be affected by your competitor's new partnership.

Preparation

You set up a meeting on short notice with your team's 7 most important members, who are able to provide you with a pretty complete assessment of the situation.

Structure

Here comes a potential structure to work on:

1. Evaluate risks & implications (20 minutes)

   1. Collect.
      Give everyone some space to think through the situation from their perspective (marketing, sales, service, product, etc.) and write down risks & implications they see. Set a timer to 3 minutes and give them another 3 after the time has run out.

   2. Share.
      Give everyone 2 minutes to share their thoughts. That's 7× 2 minutes = 14 minutes total.

2. Build cluster (5 minutes)
   In most cases there will be similar aspects, which is why building clusters makes a lot of sense. This will give you a better overview and distill the key aspects.

3. Magic prioritization (10 minutes)

   1. Why do it?
      Since you can't and don't need to do everything at once, prioritizing makes a lot of sense. In this case an Eisenhower Matrix (ranking clusters by urgency and importance) could make sense.

   2. How does it work?
      Each participant can (re-)position one of the cluster post-its in the matrix. You will go with one participant after another for several rounds until everyone is happy and no post-it is moving anymore. And that’s it. Now you will find the potential risks & implications arranged by both importance and urgency.

      Your focus should be on the important and urgent ones – that’s the post-its in the top left corner (the 3 black ones in our example).

4. Actions & responsibilities (20 minutes)
   Now comes the juicy part: who is going to do what? For that I could imagine repeating the structure from step 1:

   1. Collect.
      Give everyone some space to think about who and what should be done to take the next steps regarding the main risks & implications. Again, set a timer to 3 minutes and give them another 3 after the time has run out.

   2. Share.
      Give everyone 2 minutes to share their thoughts. That's another 7× 2 minutes = 14 minutes total. No discussions needed.

5. Dot Voting (1 minute)
   To get down to the main measures, I would suggest a dot voting. Each participant can mark the top 5 actions. This should be quick and easy, since each participant has heard the proposals of their colleagues before.

6. Wrap-up & buffer (4 minutes)
   This leaves you with 4 minutes for a quick wrap-up or just as a buffer in your planning.

The result

Now, I know what you're thinking: "That sounds intense!". And you're right, it is. It is intense, what you could be capable of achieving in just 60 minutes:

• Evaluated & shared your whole teams thoughts on the matter.

• Identified the most significant risks & implications.

• Defined possible actions & prioritized the most important ones.

Can you imagine getting that far in 60 minutes with a regular meeting? Honestly: I don't.

The Million-Dollar Question

So, are you ready? Ready to kiss those mind-numbing meetings goodbye? Ready to embrace the adrenaline rush of focused, productive sessions? Ready to push your team to heights they never thought possible?

If you're nodding along, congrats – you're about to join the ranks of the business elite. But please beware: Once you start down this path, there's no going back. Your old meetings will feel like watching paint dry in slow motion.

If you're as excited as I am to shake up your meetings, let's connect — I'd love to hear how you make meetings work for you.

Catch you in the next one!