In this practical article, the author offers valuable tips for improving the productivity of meetings, showcasing her deep understanding of the challenges faced by teams.

Here are the 3 key takeaways I will be applying when facilitating my team stand up:

1. Create Interactive Agenda: The article emphasizes using a tool that allows for an interactive agenda. This means creating and sharing the meeting agenda before the meeting starts, where team members can contribute asynchronously. To facilitate this, use project management software or shared documents that everyone has access to. Encourage team members to add their discussion points prior to the meeting to ensure a more organized and participatory session.

2. Use of engagement indicators: To maintain high engagement during remote meetings, the use of engagement indicators is recommended. These could be features within your communication platform that show when team members are present and attentive. Encourage team members to signal their status, for example, by raising a hand to speak or using emojis to react. This will help keep the meeting lively and interactive, ensuring everyone has a chance to contribute.

3. Use timer apps: The article suggests the use of timer apps to enforce timeboxing, which is critical in keeping Agile meetings concise and to the point. A visual countdown timer can be shared on the screen so that all participants are aware of the time remaining for each topic. This helps prevent any single topic from hijacking the meeting and ensures that time is allocated fairly to all items on the agenda.