> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.designreference.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://www.designreference.xyz/leadership/meetings/overview.md). # Overview Meetings are an integral part of the workplace, serving as a platform for communication, collaboration, and decision-making. However, they can also be time-consuming and unproductive if not conducted effectively or if there are, just simply, too many. Ami Vora, CPO at Faire, said it best in her article "[Getting out of meetings and into focused work](https://amivora.substack.com/p/getting-out-of-meetings-and-into)" > "Meetings aren’t work - they're a cost of getting work done." - Ami Vora Ami suggests that while meetings are necessary for collaboration and progress, they themselves do not directly contribute to the actual work being done. In other words, meetings are a necessary overhead, like paying rent for an office or purchasing office supplies. They are important for facilitating work, but they don't produce the tangible results. This quote emphasises the necessity of efficient, productive meetings, and having a well-thought-out meeting strategy, such as avoiding back-to-back scheduling, to prevent wasted time and resources. [Elizabeth Ayer](https://medium.com/@ElizAyer), on the other hand, has a differing view on meetings where she says that meetings are the work. > But what if, hear me out, what if the *only* work that matters in a knowledge economy happens when we are together? What if the reason we can’t seem to fix meetings is that we’re mischaracterizing “the work” in the first place? Elizabeth's 2023 article "[Meetings \*are\* the work](https://medium.com/@ElizAyer/meetings-are-the-work-9e429dde6aa3)" is worth a read. {% embed url="" %} > “Meetings are at the heart of an effective organization, and each meeting is an opportunity to clarify issues, set new directions, sharpen focus, create alignment, and move objectives forward.” ― Paul Axtell, [Make Meetings Matter (2020)](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45689200-make-meetings-matter) {% embed url="" %} #### Meeting Types {% embed url="" %} #### Curated Library {% embed url="" %} --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://www.designreference.xyz/leadership/meetings/overview.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.