Here is a set of tips I have learned when holding meetings, especially at Amazon. Want to make sure your meeting is effective?

• Is this meeting required? Can it be handled with a quick slack/email?
• Have a document. The document should be 1 - 2 pages for a 30 minute meeting. 3-6 pages for a 1hr meeting. Need a larger document? Break it up, see tip on clear purpose.
• Clear purpose. What outcome do you want out of the document or meeting? Is this meeting for brainstorming? Achieving consensus? Or informative?
• Context. Its easy to forget the context of when a document was created. Its difficult to jump from meeting to meeting and remember the specific context for each item.
• Action items. Keep track of who is responsible for which next steps. Clearly outline what is happening next.
• Meeting notes. Keep track of alignment, open issues, major discussions during the meeting and summarize.

When you are running your meeting, here are a few more things that are beneficial.

• When starting the discussion - open it up for major discussions and points before going comment by comment or section by section
• Do not re-read your document or attempt to summarize sections. People already read the document!
• In the last 5 minutes, rather than rushing through a few more comments, open it up for discussion. Let people discuss high priority comments that were not discussed.
• Put meeting notes in the document, including a summary of major topics/discussions/alignments. Make sure to have a list of attendees, or at the very least the key stakeholders involved.