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Tool Brief

Weekly Team Meetings

“This meeting could have been an email” has
become a cliché, but that doesn't make it any
less accurate.

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Ninety makes it easy to have great Weekly Team Meetings

We can't promise the Meetings tool will work magic, but there’s a reason companies have used Ninety’s Meetings tool hundreds of thousands of times. Teams can create custom agendas to fit their unique needs or use our standard agenda, which hits the four most important reasons for having a Weekly Team Meeting in the first place:

Ensuring we’re on top of things that matter

Sharing good news with the team

Creating a consistent time and place to address issues and opportunities

Deepening team connections and health

Components of a Weekly Team Meeting

Here’s a quick overview of each of the sections within Ninety’s standard agenda:

Segue

Each meeting starts with a Segue. During the Segue, everyone shares a piece of personal and professional good news. The idea is to stay connected as humans. Think of it as a quick gratitude session.

Headlines

Headlines are bits of news that are important but not necessarily related to the company's goals. Think "Jill had her baby" or "Stephen's going out of town for a week." If it’s news worth sharing with other teams, share it using the Cascading Messages feature.

Rocks

We execute a quick fly-by to ensure our Rocks are on track for completion by the end of the quarter. If a Rock looks off track, ask if the Rock owner or any other team member needs to discuss it further. If they do, make it an Issue. No discussion (yet).

To-Dos

We only need five minutes to check our To-Do List and see if there are any complications. If something is off track, right-click and set it as an Issue. We’ll have time to dissect it later.

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Scorecard

Every team needs a Scorecard containing KPIs and targets to ensure everything is running well. Review the Scorecard, but don’t fall into the trap of analyzing each number. If there’s a problem, move the KPI to the Issues list. 

RDR (Raise, Discuss, and Resolve)

Time to tackle the Short-Term Issues list. Rank Issues from 5 (must discuss today) to 1 (not urgent). Then, let each team member raise their Issue, discuss it with the group, and resolve it in one of three ways:

  • Make it a To-Do     
  • Turn it into a Long-Term Issue 
  • Resolve it together

Organize and document each decision in the Meetings tool. 

Conclude

Issues handled, it’s now time to Conclude our meeting. We take a moment to assess and score our meeting experience from 1 to 10. Was it effective? Was time used judiciously? Scores under 9 should be explained so we can do better next time.

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Core Disciplines of
Weekly Team Meetings

  1. Same day, same time, same agenda. Start on time, end on time.

  2. Save discussions for the RDR section. That means the only words and phrases shared before the RDR section are: yes, no, on track, off track, please, make it an Issue, or make it a To-Do.

  3. During the week, if someone comes to the team leader with an issue, ask if it can wait for the WTM. This simple discipline encourages teams to problem-solve together, saving everyone time in the long run.

Hopefully Helpful Hints

Effective Meetings

Don't worry about being perfect

Running an efficient and effective meeting is a skill, just like playing an instrument — very few people can pick it up and use it perfectly right out of the gate. Be patient. The meeting scores might be a little rough until the team develops some familiarity with the system. But consistent practice will create a smooth rhythm.
Short-Term Issues View of Ninety

Respect the timer

Try not to go over time

Try to avoid breaking the recommended time for each section. Consistency is key. That said, we’ll confess — at Ninety, we’re prone to run over on the Segue. Staying connected is important to us, especially as a remote work company.
Weekly Team Meetings banner

Every Team Member

Every team member, every meeting, every week

Make sure every team member can make every meeting every week. Avoid scheduling conflicts. While some may be skeptical at first, team members will soon find themselves looking forward to these efficient Weekly Team Meetings. Until then, ensure that all team members set aside this time, save for emergencies or vacations.
Weekly Team Meetings — Five People, Five Ideas

Meeting Roles

Facilitator and Scribe

We find it best to have a Facilitator lead the meeting while a Scribe manages the updates in Ninety. These roles change every week. The team leader doesn’t always need to run the Meeting. In fact, letting others run the Meeting in Ninety frees team leaders to focus on thinking through Issues and ensuring everyone is being seen and involved.
Separate roles for Weekly Team Meetings

Rotating Roles

Mix things up every week

Keep things fresh by rotating the meeting roles (Facilitator and Scribe) each week. Any team member can start the Meeting in Ninety. By taking turns running the software, we ensure everyone builds familiarity with the platform and the Meeting’s agenda.
Best tools 4 remote w

Effective Meetings

Don't worry about being perfect

Running an efficient and effective meeting is a skill, just like playing an instrument — very few people can pick it up and use it perfectly right out of the gate. Be patient. The meeting scores might be a little rough until the team develops some familiarity with the system. But consistent practice will create a smooth rhythm.
Short-Term Issues View of Ninety

Respect the timer

Try not to go over time

Try to avoid breaking the recommended time for each section. Consistency is key. That said, we’ll confess — at Ninety, we’re prone to run over on the Segue. Staying connected is important to us, especially as a remote work company.
Weekly Team Meetings banner

Every Team Member

Every team member, every meeting, every week

Make sure every team member can make every meeting every week. Avoid scheduling conflicts. While some may be skeptical at first, team members will soon find themselves looking forward to these efficient Weekly Team Meetings. Until then, ensure that all team members set aside this time, save for emergencies or vacations.
Weekly Team Meetings — Five People, Five Ideas

Meeting Roles

Facilitator and Scribe

We find it best to have a Facilitator lead the meeting while a Scribe manages the updates in Ninety. These roles change every week. The team leader doesn’t always need to run the Meeting. In fact, letting others run the Meeting in Ninety frees team leaders to focus on thinking through Issues and ensuring everyone is being seen and involved.
Separate roles for Weekly Team Meetings

Rotating Roles

Mix things up every week

Keep things fresh by rotating the meeting roles (Facilitator and Scribe) each week. Any team member can start the Meeting in Ninety. By taking turns running the software, we ensure everyone builds familiarity with the platform and the Meeting’s agenda.
Best tools 4 remote w

Takeaway

Weekly Team Meetings provide a safe, productive environment to solve problems, prioritize tasks, and ensure To-Dos and Rocks are on track. As a result, they free up more time to Get Smart Stuff Done (GSSD). A properly run WTM is invaluable, saving teams much more time than it takes. 

What’s more, meeting weekly as a team fosters a profound sense of connection. WTMs empower team members to take ownership of and pride in their contributions — and crystalize how those contributions further the team’s goals.

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Want to Learn More about Weekly Team Meetings?

Download the full meeting guide by clicking below.

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