The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance

This book is a game-changer for anyone stepping into leadership. It delivers sharp, actionable insights on how to run meetings that are shorter, smarter, and far more effective. I especially appreciated the emphasis on preparation and time discipline — simple changes that make a big impact. A must read for new leaders who want to lead with clarity and purpose from their first meeting on.

To be honest most of the stuff is common sense and you actually know. The good thing about the book is even if you know all the stuff you will systematize your knowledge which is a good thing. The book suggests that meeting online is not a productive thing and these days we actually meet entirely online which I personally hope will change soon. The good part of the book is how to brainstorm in a meeting and I personally will take this from this book.

Steven Rogelberg has written a highly approachable, useful book aimed at making meetings more effective. The book clearly lays out why most people groan at the thought of yet one more meeting, and provides techniques and tips for improving meetings. I thought it was really important that these tips and techniques are based on years of research by the author himself and by others in the field, and that this research occurred in many different settings (e.g., lab studies, field studies, surveys, etc.). It's important to know that this book doesn't argue for a one-size-fits-all "prescription" for meetings, rather that there are things meeting leaders need to think about and do before, during, and after meetings that will help. I found a lot to like about this book, so it is difficult to pick a favorite tip, but the two chapters I find myself thinking about now having finished the book are the one on agendas and the one on remote call-in meetings. My department uses agendas for all meetings, but this chapter has given me ideas for improving them. And, increasingly, we find people want to call in to meetings, but this is rarely effective. If you lead meetings at your organization, you'll appreciate Rogelberg's book.

I approached this book with great anticipation, but ended it sorely disappointed. If you have read anything in the past few years about improving meetings, you will find little of value from the text. It does highlight some studies that can give you some evidence-based thinking to support changes you make, but otherwise the ideas it explores and the advice it offers is both basic and fairly well-known.

Steven Rogelberg's "The Surprising Science of Meetings" is a game-changer for anyone looking to transform mundane meetings into a powerhouse of productivity. This book is a great addition to any library!Rogelberg combines extensive research with practical insights, creating a compelling guide that not only sheds light on the science behind effective meetings but also provides actionable strategies for implementation. The author's engaging writing style makes complex concepts accessible, ensuring that readers from various backgrounds can benefit from his expertise.

I read this book in preparation for a course that I teach on management skills, which contains a module on how to conduct effective meetings. Dr. Rogelberg's "The Surprising Science of Meetings: How Can you Lead Your Team to Peak Performance" greatly advanced what I have been teaching for years. His book is chock full of practical advice and guidance that I both teach and put into my own practice when conducting meetings. Here's just a sample of what I took away:1. Badly run meetings are a form of time-theft.2. We all think we are great at conducting meetings, particularly those when we talk a lot...(stew on that for a minute).3. Most people don't receive feedback on how good (or more often than not, badly) they conduct their meetings.4. Agendas are a "hollow crutch". They don't ensure that a meeting will be productive.5. People often don't prepare for meetings, but you can manage that.I strongly recommend those who are interested in making meetings not suck consider reading this book. You'll definitely walk away with a few ideas and tools for having more effective meetings.

I have been working in the professional high-tech world for over forty years. I'm still in the game and at a senior management level (COO) always looking for ways to make the ship run better. This book is not a panacea to time wasted in meetings, but then again the author is the first one to caution us as to the perils of eating the lotus flower of magic meeting curatives.After spending what may be a little much space on the background of meeting time and efficiency, he goes on to examine how to actually conduct a more efficient meeting and the culture one needs to nurture this going forward. He emphasizes that there are no shortcuts and that great meetings require a cultural buy in in the team as well as training and leadership by example. That is, the moment the people at the top show poor meeting discipline, so will the team go too.I would give this mercifully compact book a five rating, but I think the beginning background could have been more condensed. Other than that, a valuable resource I will make a core of our company meeting training. If we are successful, I believe we can make meetings a widely recognized asset of our company rather than a due to be paid.