Running doctor appointments like the best-designed meetings

When you go see your doctor, there are multiple people in a cramped, stuffy room; communication happens mostly through talking and gesticulating; there are grave misunderstandings. It’s a meeting!

In my work as a designer, I’ve been to a lot of meetings. I’ve seen them go poorly and I’ve seen them go well. I’ve seen people walk out after meetings rolling their eyes and mouthing words like ‘painful,’ and I’ve seen people stay seated and not want to leave the room because we’re having so much fun and isn’t this much more fun than work?

There are a few key things you can do to make meetings productive and satisfying. I’m currently reading the great book Meeting Design for Managers, Makers and Everyone by Kevin M. Hoffman. I’ll discuss some tips from this book along with experiences I’ve had in my work, and I’ll examine how these things apply to doctor visits.