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Match your meeting’s objective with a meeting size

The 8-18-1,800 Rule

Match your meeting’s objective with a meeting size that gives you the best chance of success.

Not every meeting objective can be accomplished with every size of meeting. If your attendance numbers for a particular event are creeping up, it’s good to keep in mind the 8-18-1,800 rule, which pairs various meeting goals with their appropriate attendance numbers. One example: If you want your meeting to end with a decision, don’t have more than eight people in the room.

In “What to Do When Your Meetings Have Gotten Too Big” from the Harvard Business Review, the author reviews the 8-18-1,800 rule and offers strategies for dealing with an overgrown event.

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