You are invited to a meeting. There's no agenda, no subject, just an invite. It's not optional, you're required to be there. You can see the participants: a product manager, someone from business and a designer. You can't prepare. You feel lost and hope for the best. You enter the video-conferencing channel. The host starts the meeting. After 29.5 minutes of listening, you are sure that this is about a new project. The product manager and the business representative are having a debate about the requirement and the initial idea. You and the designer are listening muted. You have a gut feeling that the designer didn't receive details earlier either. The meeting ends without action points. You feel that your time was wasted. How could all this be done well? What can the developer do to ensure that if the organisers are not properly prepared, you don't waste time? How can you help each other to get the best out of it?
Avoid assumptions
Continue with the above situation. Let's face the truth: the meeting was a failure. Why is that?
- Every participant assumed that others will have an exact topic to talk about.
- The participants hoped that the others will save the day by thinking during the meeting.
- Some hoped that they can get away with the whole meeting if they remain passively silent.
So what can you do?
You are a respected member of the team – take advantage!
Developers are in high demand. Take advantage of your privileged position. Point out that you can't be effective if other actors don't get the attention they deserve – in time.
- Without a well-defined business requirement, a UX researcher can't conduct interviews with the right interviewees.
- Without proper data and analysis, a designer can't create a logical operating flow with the best UI design possible.
- Without clarification of acceptance criteria, quality controllers can't come up with the right test cases and will miss potential edge cases.
- Without the above, you won't be able to provide the proper solution (for example, knowing only that a data table is needed doesn't guarantee scalability).
Clarify and force async collaboration
Every time you feel that expectations are not set, be the one who points it out. You'll save time not just for yourself, but for the team as well.
- Ask for a clear agenda when it's missing from the invitation.
- Check the documentation and comment if possible when something is missing or wrongly stated.
- Push async communication. Everyone has a different biorhythm, and not every meeting needs to be synchronous.
Respect others' time. A meeting that could have been an email often should have been one.
Avoid toxicity
Company culture is a critical factor when accepting or rejecting an offer. Once you feel respected, accepted and valued, you're more likely to stay long-term. You'll invest more energy into making the product successful, which benefits both you and your employer. Choose a communication style where your opinion is listened to and sought again. Instead of purely negative comments, make constructive suggestions when you disagree. Point out how a problem could be solved more effectively and more kindly.
Learn how to say no
Respectful, supported and well-reasoned opinions are more likely to be listened to. Even if you say 'no', strong reasoning and real examples help others accept your position. Saying 'no' at the right moment can save teams and projects from costly mistakes. If you combine your own professional suggestions with the interests and guidelines of others, cooperation can reach a much higher level.
Push out of balance
Let me share two stories about stakeholders being pushed out of a status quo for the sake of the project. A while ago, I was involved in a project that seemed like a simple redesign. I finished the mockups and handed them over, and the developers were happy. Later, I was invited to a review meeting where a business stakeholder appeared unexpectedly. This meeting turned into a debate about requirements that were never clarified before. After listening for half an hour, I suggested that the PM and business stakeholder align offline and provide a clarified specification asynchronously. They accepted this approach, and we're now waiting for proper input.
Earlier, a top-level manager asked our team to create a dashboard. Business stakeholders listed buzzwords, but no clear needs. I asked to involve a UX researcher and suggested creating an interactive prototype. The goal wasn't perfection, but to force thinking and discussion. We ran two short meetings: one for insight sharing, one for feedback on mockups. This allowed the UX researcher to conduct meaningful interviews with real user feedback.
My point is simple: don't just put problems on the table. Bring ideas for solutions. Even imperfect ideas are powerful catalysts for better thinking.
A few words about psychology
The word 'psychology' comes from the Greek words 'psyche' (soul) and 'logia' (observing). What you do when reacting to others at work reflects how you understand the resonance of their thinking. It doesn't matter what role you hold in a team. What matters is how you collaborate. This affects not only your current position, but how you grow professionally. If you think of yourself as an expert, act like one. Support your teammates and the process, and your behaviour will help everything run smoothly.