Optimizing Meetings with Pre-Writing and Co-Writing

Effective meetings can be drastically shortened to just 15 minutes for decision-making and feedback, but this efficiency hinges on thorough pre-meeting preparation. Topics should ideally be pre-written, pre-read, and pre-commented to maximize productivity. While achieving this level of preparation demands considerable discipline, organizations such as Brex successfully implement it. In contrast, many companies resort to synchronous reading at the start of meetings, similar to Amazon's approach, which can hinder the overall commenting process. The practice of verbal discussions may appear quicker but can detract from engagement, especially for less vocal participants. Prioritizing written co-commenting before discussions not only encourages all attendees to share their insights but also reveals valuable contributions from quieter individuals. In tests comparing verbal sharing with simultaneous co-writing, the latter proves to be significantly more efficient, maximizing contributions from the entire team and fostering a more inclusive environment.