Preparing for an important meeting
How to prepare a meeting that ends in a decision: state the outcome, build the agenda, invite the right people, prepare options and record what was agreed.

[ ] State how the meeting should end
    In one sentence with a decision verb: approve, choose, assign, sign off. \u201cDiscuss\u201d is not an outcome.
[ ] Write a short agenda with time per item
    Three or four items at most. Stated timings discipline a discussion better than any request to be brief.
[ ] Invite the decision-makers, and only them
    Everyone else needs the outcome. The more people present, the harder the decision and the more readily it slips.
[ ] Confirm the decision-maker can attend
    If they cannot, postponing beats meeting twice. That is respect for everyone else's time.
[ ] Send materials in advance and check access
    Links must open without you and for everyone. A file that fails to open costs ten minutes and some credibility.
[ ] Give short context to anyone new to the topic
    Three to five sentences: what is already decided, what we are discussing and why now. It saves half the meeting.
[ ] Bring options rather than an open question
    Two or three options with pros, cons and your recommendation. An open question almost always ends in \u201clet's think about it\u201d.
[ ] Think through the hard questions in advance
    Write down the three most awkward questions and answer them for yourself. If there is no answer, say so in the meeting — that is fine.
[ ] Check the numbers and their sources
    One wrong number moves the discussion from the decision to auditing your data. Know where each figure came from.
[ ] Test the technology and have a backup channel
    Audio, camera, screen sharing — before the meeting, not in the first minute. A backup channel in case the platform fails.
[ ] Check the room and its equipment
    Cable, adapter, whiteboard, markers, power socket. Small things that eat the first ten minutes when missing.
[ ] Allow time for the start and for the wrap-up
    Five minutes at the end to record what was agreed is not a luxury; it is the reason the meeting happened.
[ ] Agree who runs it and who takes notes
    Combining the roles is hard. With a separate note-taker, the person running it can listen instead of typing.
[ ] Say the key part out loud once
    Three minutes spoken aloud find holes in the logic better than an hour of rereading slides.
[ ] Record the decisions and send them the same day
    What was decided, who does what, by when. After a day, everyone's version differs and the meeting repeats.
[ ] Turn the outcomes into dated tasks immediately
    An agreement with no date and no owner is an intention, not a decision. Move it into a list while the details are fresh.

Checklist from Unload: https://unloads.me/c/meeting-prep