Meeting Facilitation skill for Codex

A meeting succeeded if it produced the outcome written in the invite (a decision, a ranked list, an agreed plan), the people needed for that outcome were there and prepared, and everyone left knowing who does what by when. Status that could be read does not need a meeting.

Step 1: should this be a meeting?

Purpose	Default	Meet only if
Share information / status	Written update	Discussion of the update is needed
Make a decision	Decision memo plus comments (see decision-memos)	Real disagreement, high stakes, or comments stall
Generate ideas	Meeting or workshop	-
Resolve conflict or build trust	Meeting	-
Plan work across teams	Meeting with pre-read	-
Review a document	Async comments	Open issues remain after comments

If a recurring meeting has had no decisions or actions for three sessions, propose cancelling it or turning it into a written update.

Step 2: design the agenda

Every item has an outcome type, an owner, a timebox, and any pre-read:

# <Meeting title> - <date, time, time zone> - <duration>
**Purpose:** <one sentence: why we are meeting>
**Outcomes:** 1) Decide X  2) Agree owners for Y  3) Ranked list of Z
**Decider:** <name> | **Facilitator:** <name> | **Notes:** <name>
**Pre-read (required, 10 min):** <link> - read before the meeting

| Time | Item | Outcome | Owner | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00-0:05 | Context and goals | shared understanding | Facilitator | brief recap, no slides |
| 0:05-0:25 | Option review for launch date | decision | Priya | silent read of comments, then discussion |
| 0:25-0:40 | Risks for chosen option | ranked list | Sam | 1-2-4-All, dot vote |
| 0:40-0:50 | Owners and dates | action list | Facilitator | round robin |
| 0:50-0:55 | Recap and close | confirmed decisions/actions | Notes | read back |

Rules:

• Put the decision items first, while attention is highest.
• Timebox at 80% of the slot; the buffer absorbs overruns.
• Invite only people who contribute to or own an outcome; others get the notes.
• Send the agenda and pre-read at least 24 hours ahead (48 for workshops).
• Sending invites and pre-reads is outward-facing: draft them and confirm with the user before anything is sent from their calendar or email.

Decision rules

Write the rule on the agenda before discussion starts:

Rule	Use when
Single decider after input (DACI / RAPID style)	Default for most business decisions
Consent (“any blocking objection?”)	Team working agreements, reversible process changes
Majority or dot vote	Ranking ideas, low-stakes choices
Consensus (everyone agrees)	Rarely; only when buy-in from every person is essential and time allows

“Disagree and commit” requires that dissent is heard and recorded, then the decider decides.

Facilitation techniques

Need	Technique	How
Ideas from everyone, not the loudest	Silent brainstorming	5-8 min writing individually on sticky notes or a shared doc, then share
Larger groups converging	1-2-4-All	Alone 1 min, pairs 2 min, fours 4 min, whole group 5 min
Prioritising	Dot voting	Each person gets about a third as many votes as there are options
Gauging support	Fist to five	0 = block, 5 = champion; anyone at 0-2 explains
Tangents	Parking lot	Capture visibly, assign follow-up at close
Reviewing a document	Silent reading	First 10-15 min reading and commenting in the meeting itself
Retrospectives	Start / stop / continue, or 4Ls	Timebox each column, then vote on 1-3 actions
Stuck debate	Name it, then separate	“We disagree on X because of Y; what information would change your mind?”

Running the room

• Open by restating purpose, outcomes, decision rule and end time.
• Hold timeboxes out loud (“five minutes left on this item”). If an item needs more time, ask the decider whether to extend and drop something, or schedule a follow-up.
• Balance airtime: round robins, invite quiet participants by name only if that is the team’s norm, and redirect dominant speakers (“let’s hear from someone who has not spoken yet”).
• Separate generating from evaluating; criticism during brainstorming kills ideas.
• Read decisions and actions back before closing; correct them while everyone is there.

Remote and hybrid

• Everyone joins from their own device in hybrid meetings so remote participants are not second-class; one shared doc as the single board.
• Cameras optional unless the team agreed otherwise; use chat and reactions for quick polls.
• Shorter sessions: 25 or 50 minutes; workshops over 90 minutes get a 10-minute break.
• Rotate meeting times across time zones for recurring global meetings.

Workshops and offsites

• Define 2-4 outcomes for the whole session; design backwards from them.
• Alternate divergent (generate) and convergent (choose) blocks.
• Plan energy: hardest decisions in the morning, hands-on work after lunch.
• Prepare materials, templates and a facilitator run sheet with exact timings and instructions for each exercise.

Follow-up

Send within 24 hours (confirm with the user before sending):

**<Meeting> - <date> - notes**
Decisions:
1. <Decision> - decided by <name>; rationale <one line>
Actions:
| Action | Owner | Due |
|---|---|---|
Parking lot: <items and who follows up>
Open questions: <list>

For detailed note-taking formats, see meeting-notes.

Gotchas

• An agenda of topics (“Q4 roadmap”) instead of outcomes (“decide which two Q4 bets to fund”) guarantees discussion without decisions.
• Inviting the decider late or as optional; decisions then get reopened.
• Pre-reads sent the night before are not read; schedule silent reading into the meeting if that happens repeatedly.
• Actions owned by “the team” have no owner.
• Recurring meetings drift; review purpose and attendee list every quarter.

Output

Deliver as requested: agenda (template above), facilitator run sheet with timings and technique instructions, draft invite text, and follow-up template pre-filled with the expected decisions.