The Basics
Best Practices Overview
MEETINGS
• Schedule during core hours
• Streamline attendees
• Include clear & descriptive info
• Keep the time focused
• Capture & send notes
See slides 2, 3 & 4 for more guidance
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EMAILS
• Use clear, consistent &
descriptive subject lines
• Include the right people
• Leverage format & language
tips
See slide 5 for more guidance
E X P E CTAT I O N S
MANAGEMENT
• Confirm receipt & provide an
ETA
• Communicate if a deadline
isn’t going to be met
See slide 6 for more guidance
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 Hosting Successful Meetings
*Before scheduling, confirm if a meeting is needed or if it could more effectively be handled via email or teams chat*

• Schedule during core hours when possible:

– Mondays through Thursdays: 9:30am-4pm CT
– Focus Fridays: 9:30am-1pm CT
LIMITED HOURS • Schedule meetings as far in advance as possible, as people’s calendars fill up quickly (especially important for meetings with McD’s)

• Mark attendees as mandatory or optional and ensure mandatory attendees are available during the requested time (check
avails and ask people with conflicts if they can flex)
– Mandatory = there is a reason for them to participate in the meeting and/or hear the info
– Optional = they would benefit from hearing the outcome and/or knowing it’s happening but aren’t imperative to the
STREAMLINED actual meeting
ATTENDEES • Make introductions and outline roles & responsibilities at the start of the meeting when necessary

• Use clear and descriptive language in the subject of the invite (reference nomenclature guide on the next page)
• Write a clear objective in the body of the invite (everyone marked as mandatory should have a role against the objective)
• Send reference materials in advance and include as a link in the body of the invite or as an attachment to the invite if time
allows
CLEAR INFO • Designate someone to capture and distribute recap and next steps notes when necessary

• Start meetings on the :05 when possible (this is particularly important for meetings with McD’s but can flex for internal and IAT only meetings)
• Hold the team accountable to start/end times and keep meetings focused on the objective

FOCUSED
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Meeting Nomenclature
Cheat Sheet

Please use the below format that includes 3 elements: Attendees, Project, Type

Meetings that include McMedia:

Format: McD + IAT | Project/Campaign Name – Meeting Type
Example 1: McD + IAT | QPC – Check-in #1
Example 2: McD + IAT | Vision Project – Presentation on Goals

IAT Only Meetings:

Format: Media IAT | Project/Campaign Name – Meeting Type
Example 1: IAT | Gaming – Strategy Presentation & Feedback Review
Example 2: IAT | Media Tools - Training Session Office Hours

Owned Meetings:
Example: McD + PG | ROA – Approach Review 1

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 Meeting Notes
Call Reports & Recaps Guide

Formal Call Report:

Informal e-mail recap
For large formal presentations, workshops, etc
For internal meetings, small client meetings, etc
(i.e. media tacticals, all agency briefings)

• Formal recap (1 page or less if possible) in Word Doc form • Informal e-mail recap to outline things like:
that outlines things like: – What was agreed upon
– Meeting type – Next steps
– Objective – Owners
– Attendees – Timing
– Key notes/summary of what was discussed
– What was agreed upon
– Next steps, owners, timing

• For Owned, also recap next steps and owners in the body of
the email after meetings

• Templates:
– Paid Media:
https://lion.box.com/s/u08qw1wrui8gg62x28v47l5wxx5icqg0
– Owned:
https://lion.box.com/s/1x2uhrno0ky72rzo6ggxcy1xteq01gtv

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Crafting Successful Emails

• Recommend keeping same subject line for a topic as to not break the thread and drop off anyone from the
SUBJECT LINE & CC
RECIPIENTS – Example: “For Review: ROA Owned Channel Creative” (you can use this same thread for all review rounds)
• Think about who needs to see the e-mail, purposefully use Reply All and curate your TO: vs. CC: list

• Think about the impact your email will have (and the best time to send it)
• Clearly delineate the ask up front (so if someone’s reading it on a mobile device, the key actions and next steps are succinct up front)
• Use bullets and color with purpose:
– i.e. instead of using a rainbow of colors for different sections of the email, use one bold text color for action
required, YELLOW highlight for a risk or something that needs attention, and Green or Black text for FYI/all
good/no action required. Bolding words helps, as some people are color blind and are unable to distinguish
FORMAT & greens and reds.
LANGUAGE TIPS – Group McD’s actions together and group internal actions together
• @Mention specific individuals who need to weigh in
• Action required - be clear and time bound “@Kelley, Action required by EOD Th, 10/27: xxxx”
• FYI - for information only (consider carefully who needs the info and why)
• Urgent - response in 48 hours. Is e-mail the best way to get the response? Consider calling? Text?
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Responsiveness & Managing Expectations

• Confirm receipt and provide an ETA when you receive a question from clients, an internal team
member and/or a partner agency
– i.e. we’ll let you know by X, we’ll follow up by X and let you know when we’ll have a response, or I’ll share an
update by X (even if the update is that you’re awaiting inputs before you can confirm), etc

• Proactively communicate if a deadline isn’t going to be met (and ensure it’s documented if it’s
discussed in a one-off conversation)

• If you give a deadline, explain why you’re asking for feedback, input or approval by that date/time
(and what it impacts next/down the line)

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