Inform–Discuss Meeting System
Move updates async and reserve meeting time for connection and decisions
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 98%
This system separates communication that people can consume independently from work that benefits from synchronous interaction. Before every meeting, attendees add routine updates to an inform section and matters requiring input, advice or ideation to a discussion section. Everyone reviews and annotates the document in advance, allowing the meeting to begin with relevant questions already visible. Live time follows a 25-50-25 allocation: roughly 25% for gratitude and recent wins, 50% for discussion items and 25% for teaching or inspiration. The mechanism reduces status-reporting, prevents surprises and protects focused work while still using meetings to create human connection, make decisions and strengthen the team.
Origin
Jasmine Star developed the system after her growing virtual team recreated the unfocused all-hands meetings she had disliked while working at Nordstrom.
Core principles
- 01Share routine information asynchronously
- 02Enter every meeting prepared
- 03Reserve live time for matters requiring interaction
- 04Balance decisions with connection and development
How to run it
- 1
Create the agenda early
Publish a shared meeting document far enough in advance for every attendee to contribute and prepare.
Pro tip Give each attendee a clearly labeled space so participation is distributed.
Watch out A document posted immediately before the meeting cannot support meaningful preparation.
- 2
Separate inform from discuss
Put announcements, absences and project-status updates under inform. Put decisions, role clarification, advice and ideation under discussion.
Pro tip If no response or decision is required, treat the item as inform.
Watch out Do not read every inform item aloud during the meeting.
- 3
Review asynchronously
Require attendees to read the document and leave questions or notes before the meeting begins.
Pro tip Use annotations to consolidate related questions before the topic owner speaks.
Watch out Unreviewed agendas recreate the surprises and repetition the system is meant to remove.
- 4
Run the 25-50-25 agenda
Use approximately 25% of the meeting for gratitude and wins, 50% for discussion topics and 25% for teaching or inspiration.
Pro tip Adjust the total meeting length when the discussion list is short rather than filling the available time.
Watch out Do not let the connection or teaching portions displace urgent decisions.
- 5
Close with clarity
Confirm owners, deadlines and decisions for every discussion item before ending the meeting.
Pro tip Record outcomes directly beside the original agenda item.
Watch out A lively discussion without ownership or a next action does not move the team forward.
In the wild
A team places promotion dates and existing roadmap updates in the inform section. The discussion section contains unresolved campaign ownership, reporting lines and deadlines. Attendees add questions beforehand, then use the live meeting to assign responsibilities and settle dependencies rather than reciting updates.
→ The team leaves with clear owners and deadlines while spending less time in the meeting.
Common mistakes
Reading the inform section aloud
Turning asynchronous updates into spoken status reports wastes the live time the system is designed to protect.
Arriving without reviewing the agenda
Unprepared attendees force topic owners to repeat context and delay substantive discussion.
Filling time because it was booked
A sparse discussion list should produce a shorter meeting, not unnecessary conversation.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for distributed teams whose meetings mix announcements, decisions, brainstorming and relationship building.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for emergencies that require immediate coordination before an agenda can be prepared.
From the transcript
“We should all arrive to any meeting knowing what we're going to discuss.”
“25% of the meeting like that time is spent on gratitude and sharing wins from the previous week.”
“Discussion topics are things that need input, advice or ideation from key stakeholders.”
From the episode
Five Things My Team and I Do to Stay Productive and Reach Our Goals