Where the Action Is: The Meetings That Make or Break Your Organization

by J. Elise Keith

How well you meet determines what your group can achieve When you ask leaders in a high performing organization about the key to their success, the answers are all over the failing fast, radical transparency, operational excellence, strong core values... so many different North Stars to follow. Then, if you ask them for an example–to tell you what that looks like in practice –they will all describe a meeting. Leaders at these organizations have learned to design a sequence of tailored meetings that create a healthy organizational culture and drive forward momentum. They know that meetings are where the action is. Where the Action Is reveals how leaders in any organization can use meetings to engage their people, simplify communications, and accelerate progress. In it, you'll learn.
- The truth about why there are so many meetings.
- Surprising research revealing that what you think you know about meetings may be wrong.
- Proven techniques that make any meeting productive.
- Five steps to increasing team engagement in meetings.
- The specific meeting practices high-performing organizations use to create a healthy culture and drive results.
- The stories of those who’ve found a way to love their meetings, and those who’ve struggled.
- The 16 distinct types of business meetings and how to use them.
Distilling insights from business management, cognitive research, behavioral psychology, organizational studies, and 10 years of work with organizations big and small, J. Elise Keith’s entertaining and informative book will forever change the way you meet.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

432 pages, Paperback

Published September 6, 2018

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earmarked, marked up and stuffed with post-its. I'm all about meetings that matter and Elise Keith has some great practical tips for making sure we get the most out of bringing people together. Cadence is one of my new favorite words.

[Michael Weinraub · Rating 5 out of 5]

For certain people, this book is essential reading. Those people are my people -- facilitators, team leaders, and designers of all kinds: learning designers, product designers, service designers. There is such a well-considered presentation of concepts and descriptions. The taxonomy of 16 meeting types is outstanding, and she may have saved the best for last, with visual representations of combinated meeting flows over the course of a project at the end. It took me a while (a few months of semi-study end of day reading) but I'm grateful that the book exists (for people like me ;) and that I committed to digesting it.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book on having good and productive meetings. It's the ultimate reference for anyone who wants to make the most out of their meetings. The author has a lot of wit and insight, which makes the book a joy to read. I personally keep it by my desk and refer to it often. Don't waste your time with other books, this one covers everything you need to know.

[Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful framework and extension of the online content. The meeting flow model is such a useful concept. This could have been shorter and not all of the content really landed for me, but I get that some folks process content differently. This is a good reference.

[Care · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too dense for fun reading. Starts off great but I could never really get motivated to get into the guts. I need the sizzle.

[Greg Lardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good tips on how to run a better meeting.