Prepare with a pre-read

Lessons learned in write for understanding and write with brevity apply here. Pre-reads should achieve one goal: provide enough information to someone who may have little to no context so that they can meaningfully contribute in the meeting. Your pre-read should take the place of the common “Let me bring folks up to speed…” part of the meeting, saving five to ten minutes upfront. Attendees should be able to grasp the basics in five minutes or less. Try to format your pre-read in bullets to force clarity. Bonus points if you’re able to link out to meaningful components where folks can optionally learn more in advance (example: a Dropbox folder, a collaborative document like Paper document, or a ticket in a project management system).

An effective way to train those who routinely attend meetings you organize is to maintain a single source of truth. By putting your pre-read materials in the shared agenda document that’s already attached to your meeting invite, you’re conditioning attendees to refer to the agenda before, during, and after meetings. It’s a good idea to share the pre-read one to two business days in advance. If all else fails, allocate time for silent reads to begin your meeting. When sharing, remind folks what they’re expected to read, why they’re expected to read it, and that you’re linking the same agenda doc that’s already in the meeting invite. 

As you share the pre-read, ask folks to provide feedback if something is ambiguous or confusing. This not only helps you craft future pre-reads to be more concise and focused on the right things, but it also serves as a subtle nudge for attendees to actually read the pre-read. This tiny step adds a layer of accountability and touches on the power of reciprocity. Attendees will recognize that you’re going above and beyond by providing a pre-read and asking for feedback, which in turn makes them more likely to reciprocate by reading (and hopefully, sharing a bit of input).