The quality of your meetings determines the quality of your decisions. A protocol protects teams from blame, detours, and opinion battles.

The 4-part data meeting protocol

1. Clarify the question (5 minutes)
   “What decision are we trying to make today?”

2. Describe the pattern (10 minutes)
   Use neutral statements. Show two visuals at most.

3. Test explanations (10 minutes)
   What supports this? What challenges it? What else do we need?

4. Decide next steps (10 minutes)
   Choose one action, one owner, one date to review.

Three norms to set early

• We describe before we explain.

• We test before we fix.

• We leave with a next step.

What leaders should say when debate drifts

• “Which part of the data supports that claim?”

• “What would we expect to see if that were true?”

• “What is the smallest action we can test within two weeks?”

Key Takeaways

• Protocols make meetings safer and faster.

• Norms reduce blame and protect trust.

• Leave every meeting with owners and dates.

Quick Check

Write the opening line you will use at your next data meeting.