Most decisions die in meetings because nobody knew a decision was being made. By the time people realize what's happening, the meeting's over and someone says "I didn't know we were deciding that."
Here's how to run a decision meeting that actually decides something.
Before the Meeting
State the decision clearly in the invite.
"We're deciding X" — not "discussing X." If the invite doesn't say "deciding," people will assume it's just a discussion.
Share context in advance.
Nobody makes good decisions in real-time with incomplete information. Send the relevant data, options, and tradeoffs before the meeting. Give people 24 hours to think.
The Meeting Structure
Minutes 0-5: Restate the Decision
Start by stating exactly what you're deciding. Write it on the board or screen. "We're deciding: Option A vs Option B vs Option C for [reason]." Everyone needs to know what's on the table.
Minutes 5-15: Arguments For and Against
Each option gets its moment. Who advocates for it and why? What are the risks? The goal isn't to debate — it's to surface the key tradeoffs.
Minutes 15-25: Clarifying Questions
Anyone can ask one clarifying question per option. No arguments, no positions — just questions. "Does Option A require more engineering time?" "What's the migration path?"
Minutes 25-35: Decision
Now decide. The decision-maker (or group if it's a committee) makes the call. State it clearly: "We're doing Option B because [reason]."
Minutes 35-40: Communicate the Decision
Assign an owner for communicating the outcome. What gets sent, to whom, by when? A decision nobody knows about isn't a decision — it's a secret.
The Most Important Rule
If someone says "I didn't know we were deciding this" — the meeting failed.
Good decision meetings telegraph the decision in advance. The purpose of the meeting is to make a decision, not to discover that one needs to be made.
Decisions are expensive. Make them count.
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