Merlin Mann has several interesting tips for running more productive meetings.
The only suggestion I had real issues with was #4,
No electronic grazing. Period. – Laptops closed. Phones off. Blackberries left back in the cube. YouÂ’re either at the meeting or youÂ’re not at the meeting, and few things are more distracting or disruptive than the guy who has to check his damned email every five minutes.
If I’m at a meeting and I’m using a laptop it is because I’m taking extensive notes on what is being said and what was agreed to (it never fails to amaze me how a week later a meeting with four people can result in four very divergent views of what was agreed upon — its like a three times a week showing of Rashomon).
I do occasionally see people “grazing” rather than focusing on the meeting, but typically it is because the meeting planners don’t use the other rules that Mann outlines.
Finally, Mann’s end-of-post aside is hilarious for anyone whose ever found themself in this particular situation,
Aside: Understand — this is coming from a man who often was compelled to spend the better part of one day a week on a bi-coastal video conference call with two dozen people. Staring. Wishing death. Listening to the CTO opine at length about how exciting it would be to build and sell a national yellow pages app from scratch. If there had been cyanide capsules on the table instead of M&Ms, I don’t think I would have hesitated to indulge. “Boil the ocean” business models and long meetings are the cocktail for making Merlin wish harm upon himself.