BSP 161: Boring Meetings Suck by John Petz

We all have meetings; in fact, it seems that sometimes we have
meetings just to have meetings. Jon Petz, author of Boring
Meetings Suck: Get More Out Of Your Meetings, or Get Out Of More
Meetings, wrote the book to empower both organizers and attendees
on how to run meetings effectively without them become
“soul-sucking” and tedious. As a resource book, Petz tackles the
functionality of hybrid meetings – currently taking place all over
the world. He says, “Hybrid is what everything is about now today.
How do we have a truly functional, hybrid meeting?” Petz is an
advocate of getting people engaged and gaining time back, but how
can we get that accomplished? He says by getting people in and out
of meetings quicker by running them efficiently and effectively,
with clear outcomes. When everyone comes out with a clear
understanding of what needs to be accomplished, that can be
categorized as a productive meeting. This is one way where people
can get their ‘real job’ done – not at night or on weekends. The
book aims to put the power in the hands of meeting participants –
those who don’t control or set up the meeting, with what he calls
SRDs: Suckification Reduction Devices. Those are quick tips and
nuggets designed to run meetings differently where people feel
empowered to excuse themselves and go about their business without
being disrespectful or disruptive. He says the biggest mistake
meeting organizers make is that there’s no outcome statement,
despite having an agenda. People often say they don’t know what
they’re coming in to, what they’re hoping to accomplish and what
they’re walking out with. Petz goes on to discuss the different
types of meetings, but his favorite is “Two and out” meetings. He
states that concept derives from the popular ESPN show, “Pardon The
Interruption” (PTI) where participants have two minutes to explain
their point, while another person keeps time. With ground rules set
beforehand, everyone’s on an even playing field, this method
teaches people to be succinct when they share data, keeps them
focused on the task at hand, and away from tangents. Learn more
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