Method · Decisions

Six-page memo meeting: how to run it

Instead of slides, someone writes a narrative memo of up to six pages; the meeting starts with everyone reading it in silence, then discusses it.

60 minutes4 stepsDecisions
Other methods

When it helps

Use it for important proposals and reviews where clear thinking matters more than presentation — a strategy, a new product, a large investment.

When to use something else

Skip it for quick updates and small decisions; writing a good memo takes days. It also needs the room to accept 20 minutes of silence.

How to run it, step by step

  1. Silent reading20 min
    • Everyone reads the memo in the room, making notes in the margins.
  2. Questions on understanding10 min
    • What was unclear? The author answers briefly.
  3. Discussion25 min
    • Does the reasoning hold up? What is missing or wrong?
  4. Decision and next steps5 min
    • Decide, or say exactly what the next version must answer.

What comes out — an example

Made up, to show the shape.

Memo. Six pages proposing a self-serve plan for small clinics, with customer quotes and a cost model.

Reading. 20 minutes; 31 margin notes.

Discussion. The cost model assumed 5% upgrades — evidence for that is thin.

Next. Run a 60-day test with new sign-ups before deciding (author, results in March).

Where it comes from

Amazon replaced slide presentations in senior meetings with narrative memos read silently at the start of the meeting; Jeff Bezos described the practice in his shareholder letters.

Questions

Why read the memo in the meeting rather than before?

So everyone has actually read it, with full attention, before discussion starts.

Why use a memo instead of slides?

Writing full sentences forces clearer reasoning and shows the gaps that bullet points hide.

How long should the memo be?

Up to six pages for a major decision, often with appendices for detail; shorter memos work for smaller topics.

Other methods

Six Thinking HatsThe group looks at one question from six angles in turn — facts, feelings, risks, benefits, new ideas and process — so everyone thinks the same way at the same time instead of arguing.Dot votingEverybody gets a few votes — dots — to put on the options they like best, so a group can see its priorities in minutes instead of debating every item.RACIA grid that says, for each task or decision, who does the work (Responsible), who answers for it (Accountable), who is asked first (Consulted) and who is told after (Informed).DACIA way to make a group decision clear before discussing it: one Driver runs the process, one Approver makes the call, Contributors give input, and the Informed are told the result.RAPID decision rolesAssign five roles for an important decision — who Recommends, who must Agree, who will Perform it, who gives Input, and the one person who Decides — so it gets made and carried out.Consent decision-makingA decision goes ahead unless someone has a reasoned objection — not “is this the best idea?” but “is it good enough for now and safe enough to try?”

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