8 Tips for Running More Effective Meetings

Every so often, you come across an article that doesn’t just talk about better meetings — it actually sharpens your thinking. Colleen Dunn’s piece, “8 Tips for Running More Effective Meetings,” published on AgileSherpas.com, is one of those rare contributions that cuts through the noise and offers genuinely actionable guidance.

It’s written with the clarity and discipline you’d expect from an experienced Agile coach, but what makes it stand out is how directly it tackles the everyday frustrations we all recognise: the bloated calendar, the meandering agenda, the sense of time slipping away while real work waits patiently in the background.

Dunn doesn’t waste words. She starts from a simple truth: most teams aren’t suffering from a lack of meetings — they’re suffering from a lack of intentional meetings. Her eight tips form a practical, no‑nonsense framework for reclaiming time, sharpening focus, and restoring a sense of purpose to the conversations that genuinely matter. From insisting on clear agendas to challenging the reflexive “let’s meet about it,” the article offers a set of habits that any team can adopt without needing a full‑scale transformation programme.

What’s refreshing is how grounded the advice is. This isn’t theory. It’s the kind of guidance that comes from sitting in the trenches with teams, watching where meetings go wrong, and helping people build better habits. Dunn’s emphasis on preparation, accountability, and clarity of outputs aligns perfectly with the ethos behind Unconventus: meetings should be a tool, not a tax. They should accelerate work, not smother it.

The article also does something many meeting‑advice pieces fail to do: it recognises that everyone in the room shapes the quality of the meeting, not just the host. Dunn’s point about shared responsibility — including the wonderfully blunt “ELMO” principle (“Enough, Let’s Move On”) — is a reminder that culture is built through collective behaviour, not wishful thinking. If teams want better meetings, they need to participate in making them better.

What makes this article especially worth sharing in the Borrowed Brains category is its balance of simplicity and impact. None of the tips are complicated. None require new software, new roles, or new rituals. They simply require intention — and the willingness to stop treating meetings as the default mode of communication. Dunn’s writing reinforces a message that’s central to the Unconventus approach: reducing meetings isn’t about doing less; it’s about doing what matters.

If you’re looking to help your team reclaim time, reduce noise, and make space for meaningful work, Dunn’s article is well worth your attention. It’s practical, clear, and refreshingly aligned with the idea that better thinking leads to better meetings — and fewer of them.

Click here or on the image to take you to Colleen's article.