MEETING DESIGN
For Managers, Makers, and Everyone
KEVIN M. HOFFMAN
Meeting Design
For Managers, Makers, and Everyone
By Kevin M. Hoffman
Two Waves Books
an Imprint of Rosenfeld Media, LLC
540 President Street
Brooklyn, New York
11215 USA
On the Web: twowavesbooks.com Please send errors to: [email protected]
Publisher: Louis Rosenfeld
Managing Editor: Marta Justak
Illustrations: Matt Sutter
Interior Layout Tech: Danielle Foster
Cover and Interior Design: The Heads of State
Indexer: Marilyn Augst
Proofreader: Sue Boshers
© 2018 Kevin M. Hoffman
All Rights Reserved
ISBN: 1-933820-38-1
ISBN 13: 978-1-933820-38-5
LCCN: 2017934295
Printed and bound in the United States of America
Kevin: Marta suggested that I should dedicate my book to you.
Angela: You should write “Thank you for not divorcing me during the writing of this book.”
Kevin: That’s funny, but what if something happens to us down the road? That’s like having a tattoo of an ex’s name. Been there, done that.
Angela: True.
Contents at a Glance
Part 1. The Theory and Practice of Meeting Design
Chapter 1. How to Design a Meeting
Chapter 2. The Design Constraint of All Meetings
Chapter 3. Build Agendas Out of Ideas, People, and Time
Chapter 4. Manage Conflict with Facilitation
Chapter 5. Facilitation Strategy and Style
Chapter 6. Better Meetings Lead to Better Organizations
Chapter 7. Get Started with Beginning Meetings
Chapter 8. Chart the Course Using Middle Meetings
Chapter 9. Find Closure with End Meetings
Contents and Executive Summary
Meetings aren’t doing the work they should be doing.
Part 1. The Theory and Practice of Meeting Design
Frame, build, optimize, facilitate, and measure meetings that do a job.
Chapter 1. How to Design a Meeting
Think like a designer about the gatherings already taking place.
Chapter 2. The Design Constraint of All Meetings
Design conversations to work effectively within limits posed by the human brain.
Chapter 3. Build Agendas Out of Ideas, People, and Time
How much content can be covered? How many people can you invite? How much time will this agenda take?
Chapter 4. Manage Conflict with Facilitation
Build from
