Episode 287: Where The Action Is with J. Elise Keith

On this episode of the podcast I’m joined by J. Elise Keith, co-founder of Lucid Meetings and author of Where The Action Is: The Meetings That Make or Break Your Organization. We dive into an area of our work lives that can have a direct impact on our overall productivity both individually and organizationally. That area is… meetings.

Meetings can be a real productivity killer. But they don’t need to be. I was grateful to have the opportunity to talk with Elise about her comprehensive book – which is a “must read” if you’re looking to make better meetings happen. We talked about designing meetings that matter, how to break the bias that meetings aren’t productive, and much more. Meetings are going to happen, so why not make them happen in a way that works? This discussion is just the thing to help you turn your meetings from interruptions to productivity to instrumental for purposeful productivity. Enjoy!

Talking Points

  • This is what Elise has to say to people who are hesitant when going into meetings because of their aversion to them
  • We talk about words or phrases you can use instead of the word “meeting”
  • What are the 16 different types of meetings and how did they make their way into the book?
  • How does someone get started using these different types of meetings without being overwhelmed with such a drastic change in culture?
  • Elise shares with me her thoughts on “holacracy” and whether or not she’s explored that in conjunction with her work
  • We discuss the five focus areas that Elise brings up in the book that will help you make your meetings better
  • This is one of the key takeaways Elise would love for you to have when reading her book
  • What’s one thing someone can takeaway from this podcast to make their meetings more productive?

Every time we put a meeting on the calendar in this company or in this team, we’re going to include in the calendar why we’re meeting and what we expect to get out of it at the end.

– J. Elise Keith


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