Calls and Meetings

Calls and meetings should be as direct and efficient as possible, while retaining a sense of real-time collaboration and decision making.

Every call or meeting should by default have someone taking notes and clarity on where they will be posted.

If you are on a call and it's not clear, please raise so it can be decided:

• If no notes then why
• If no-one assigned then who should

For example, it should be a conscious decision not to do so, and there should be a reason for it. If it is a quick huddle between 2-3 people then notes are sometimes not needed. That said, even in that example generally someone should still post "Had a quick huddle with X and Y and we decided...".

Where and How to Post Meeting Notes

• Generally speaking meeting notes should be posted in the relevant Slack channel.
• Try to tag the relevant people against actions wherever possible.
• If there is a recording then link to it or post it as a thread on the original notes (with post to channel) when it becomes available.
• Having a copy of notes in Confluence for the long term is fine, but it is poor for visibility. Do not just link to Confluence as this causes more work for the viewer.

Why Do We Do This?

There are a number of simple benefits:

• It gives important insight into how many meetings are happening and why.
• This helps to prevent people having to attend every meeting just to know what is going on or feel in the loop.
• People who are less involved but can contribute in various ways are able to.
• There is some responsibility for recording and reporting actions.
• As an organisation with people in multiple time zones and work hours it helps with coherence.
• People are often out, have conflicts, or are on holiday/off sick.

If a meeting is covering complex topics that might need replayed then it should also be recorded. If in doubt whether a call should be recorded, do so.

Standing Calls and Meetings

It is extremely easy for an organisation to build up too many standing calls and for more and more people to be added over time. This should be avoided.

Every single call and meeting should have a designated owner, who must continually evaluate whether the call/meeting is achieving its aims, is actually required, and has the right attendees.

Attendance

While the call/meeting owner will attempt to manage things, personal responsibility and common sense should prevail individually.

• If you are on calls you are not getting value from, suggest to the organiser you move to optional.
• If you are on a call and you are confident the relevance to you of the rest of the call is limited then drop a note in chat signing off.
• If you are not going to join a call you normally would, drop a note in channel and tag the owner.
• If you do not attend you can stay generally aware via the Slack notes of the meeting, and the recordings.
• If you do not attend it is your responsibility, not others, to make sure you are keeping up with relevant information.

Considerations

As an owner or attendee of a meeting please consider:

• Your environment, as it is your responsibility to be in a quiet location enabling focus without distractions.
• Using mute when not speaking to ensure no background noise interferes with the meeting.
• Your camera, as it is not required to have it on and can often be a distraction.
• Listing attendees in meeting notes. Generally this is not necessary, but in certain circumstances (such as new external attendees) it may add value.

Screensharing

During any meeting, if you are discussing something then share your screen so everyone can see what is being talked about. This includes:

• Workflows and actions in Airtable
• Diagrams in Figjam
• Designs in Figma
• Relevant communications such as emails or Slack messages
• Client apps and showcases

How to Share Your Phone Screen

If your use case is mainly internal then we recommend using Vysor as it is compatible with macOS and Windows and works with both iOS and Android.

To get started you will need:

• A USB cable to connect your phone to your computer
• The Vysor application installed on your computer
• The Vysor application downloaded onto your device (Android and iOS)

iOS

Setting Up

Install Vysor on iOS

• Download the Vysor app from the App Store.

Trust Your Computer

• Connect your iOS device to your computer.
• Go to Settings > General > Device Management.
• Trust the connected computer.

Connecting to Vysor

• Open Vysor on your Windows or macOS computer.
• Connect your iOS device to your computer using a USB cable.
• Allow permissions on your iOS device to allow screen sharing.
• When the device is connected click the red play button next to the model name in the desktop application.
• Select Skip Vysor Dongle Connection (Mirroring Only Mode).

Android

Setting Up

Enable Developer Options on Android

• Go to Settings > About Phone.
• Tap Build Number multiple times until Developer Mode is enabled.

Enable USB Debugging

• Go to Settings > Developer Options.
• Toggle USB Debugging to On.

Connecting to Vysor

• Open Vysor on your Windows or macOS computer.
• Connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable.
• Launch Vysor on your computer.
• Allow USB Debugging on your Android device when prompted.
• When the device is connected click the red play button next to the model name in the desktop application.
• Select Skip Vysor Dongle Connection (Mirroring Only Mode).

Troubleshooting

• USB Debugging not working (Android): Ensure USB debugging is enabled and correct drivers are installed.
• Device not detected: Ensure the USB cable and ports are functioning properly. Try another cable or port.
• Permissions issues (iOS): Double-check the trust settings and device management settings.