Meetings
Meetings are a critical part of our workflow at Lyquix, helping us stay aligned, make decisions, and collaborate effectively. To ensure that our meetings are productive and efficient, we have established the following best practices and guidelines.
Be Mindful of the Cost of Meetings
Before scheduling a meeting, consider the cost of meetings. A one-hour meeting with five people is five hours or work. For internal meetings, is it worth it or can the same amount of time be used in a different way? For client meetings, is it fair to the client to be billed for that amount of time?
Best Practices for Meetings
Use Meeting Agendas: Whether you are the organizer or an attendee, ensure that the purpose of the meeting is clear and a detailed agenda is provided. This helps keep the meeting focused and ensures all necessary topics are covered. Distribute the agenda in advance, ideally 24 hours before the meeting, so participants have time to prepare.
Prepare Before Meetings: Take time to review the agenda, gather relevant information, and prepare any questions or contributions. Being well-prepared leads to more productive discussions. If you are expected to present or discuss a particular item, make sure you have all necessary materials ready.
Evaluate Meeting Participation: Whether you are planning a meeting or deciding whether to attend one, consider who truly needs to be involved. If you're invited to a meeting and feel your presence might not be necessary, contact the organizer to clarify your role or discuss whether your time might be better spent elsewhere. If appropriate, suggest an alternative way to contribute, such as providing input via email.
Group Meetings Together: Whenever possible, schedule your meetings back-to-back to create larger blocks of uninterrupted work time. This helps maintain focus and productivity throughout the day. Consider using tools like calendar blocking to manage your time effectively.
Take and Distribute Notes: Document decisions, agreements, and action items during the meeting. After the meeting, distribute the notes to all participants to ensure everyone is on the same page and has a clear understanding of the next steps. Consider using collaborative tools like Google Docs for note-taking, which allows real-time contributions from all attendees.
Maintain Professional Conduct in Video Calls: While video calls may be more relaxed than in-person meetings, it's important to display professional conduct, appearance, and background. It is acceptable to blur your background or use a photo if necessary. Ensure your camera is turned on, and that you have adequate lighting. Check your video, audio, and connection quality before the meeting starts. If you anticipate connectivity issues, inform the organizer in advance.
Schedule Meetings with Time Zones in Mind: Be mindful of team members in different time zones and schedule meetings at times that are reasonable for all participants. Use tools like World Time Buddy or Google Calendar's time zone feature to find suitable times for everyone.
Stay on Topic: Keep discussions focused on the agenda items. If new topics arise that need further discussion, consider scheduling a follow-up meeting or moving them to another forum. The meeting organizer should feel empowered to steer the conversation back to the agenda if it goes off track.
Encourage Participation: Make sure everyone has a chance to contribute. If you're leading the meeting, actively engage quieter team members to ensure their voices are heard. Use techniques like round-robin discussions or directly asking for input from individuals who haven't spoken.
End with a Summary: Conclude the meeting by summarizing key points, decisions, and next steps. This reinforces understanding and ensures alignment moving forward. Additionally, confirm who is responsible for each action item and the expected deadlines.
Google Calendar Tips
Add Video Conferencing Links: When creating an event, use the "Add Google Meet video conferencing" option to automatically include a video call link. Ensure that the link is accessible to all participants, especially external clients or partners.
Set Up Recurring Events: For regular meetings or tasks, set them up as recurring events to save time. Be mindful of holidays or planned absences, and adjust recurring meetings as needed.
Use the "Find a Time" Feature: When scheduling meetings with multiple people, use this feature to see everyone's availability at once. This minimizes back-and-forth communication and helps you schedule meetings more efficiently.
Customize Your Working Hours: Set your working hours in Calendar settings to help others schedule meetings with you at appropriate times. This is especially useful for team members working in different time zones.
Use "Out of Office" Feature: When you're away, use this feature to automatically decline new invitations and notify others of your absence. This helps manage expectations and keeps your calendar clear of unnecessary meetings.
Consider Using "Speedy Meetings": Enable this setting to automatically end 30-minute meetings 5 minutes early and hour-long meetings 10 minutes early, allowing buffer time between appointments. This is particularly useful for back-to-back meetings, giving you time to prepare for the next one.
Google Meet Tips
Test Your Audio and Video Before Joining: Click the gear icon on the join screen to check your camera and microphone. Testing before the meeting starts helps prevent technical issues during the call.
Blur Your Background or Use Virtual Backgrounds: Click the three dots (...) > Change background. This feature helps maintain privacy and minimizes distractions during meetings.
Use the Chat Feature: Share links or ask questions without interrupting the speaker. However, be mindful that the information shared in the chat during the meeting cannot be retrieved after the meeting ends, so take notes if necessary.
Share Your Screen: Click "Present now" to share your entire screen, a window, or a browser tab. Be prepared and ensure that only the relevant content is visible on your screen.
Record Meetings (if You Have Permission): Click the three dots (...) > Record meeting. Recording is useful for capturing discussions that need to be reviewed later or shared with those who couldn't attend. Always inform participants before starting the recording.
Use the Raise Hand Feature: Click the hand icon to signal you want to speak. This is particularly useful in larger meetings to manage the flow of conversation and ensure everyone has a chance to contribute.
Download the Mobile App: You can join Google Meet calls from your phone, but you will need to download the app first. This is useful if you need to join a meeting while on the go.
Zoom and Teams Tips
While Google Meet is Lyquix's system for video calls, occasionally you may receive an invite from a client to use other systems like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
Browser Access: When joining Zoom or Teams video calls from your computer, you can do it directly in the browser without needing to install the app. However, downloading the app may provide a better user experience with more features available.
Test Your Setup: Just like with Google Meet, test your audio, video, and screen-sharing capabilities before the meeting starts to avoid technical issues.
Staff Meetings
Mondays 9:00 AM
Our Monday staff meetings provide an overview of all clients, projects, and internal tasks. This is an opportunity for the entire team to gain visibility into everything happening across the organization.
All team members are expected to actively participate by sharing insights and context about their projects, rather than just going through a checklist of tasks. Engaging in the discussion, offering feedback, asking questions, and contributing to the conversation are crucial to fostering a deeper understanding of each project and identifying potential areas of collaboration or concern.
Please Note
If there's a holiday on a Monday, this meeting is rescheduled to Tuesday, and the Scrum meeting is skipped that day.
Scrum Meetings
Tuesdays through Fridays 2:30 PM
Our daily Scrum meetings are designed to provide updates on work progress, identify any roadblocks, and discuss priorities or assignments.
Each team member should provide a concise update on what they accomplished since the last meeting, what they plan to do next, and any challenges they are facing. If help is needed, this is the time to ask for it. The goal of these meetings is to ensure that everyone is aligned and that any issues are addressed promptly, allowing us to work efficiently and effectively toward our objectives.
Team Lunch
Thursdays 12:00 PM
This is a great opportunity to connect with colleagues, share updates, and enjoy a meal together. All team members are encouraged to participate. It's a casual, relaxed environment where we can build stronger relationships and foster team spirit.
1-on-1 Meetings
Once a Quarter
1-on-1 meetings are scheduled once a quarter and serve as a dedicated time for individual feedback, professional development discussions, and addressing any concerns or goals between managers and team members.
These meetings are an opportunity to receive personalized feedback and support. Some of the topics to be discussed include:
- Recent work
- Areas where you're excelling
- Any challenges you're facing
- Work load
- Relationship with the team, your manager, and the company
- Professional development and career goals
- Overall work satisfaction
By adhering to these meeting practices and guidelines, we can ensure that our meetings are productive, focused, and valuable, helping us achieve our goals as a team.