No Laptops and Phones During Meetings

A few weeks ago, a guest speaker visited Tinder for an all company meeting.

Our guest has worked in tech for over twenty years, sold multiple companies, and been a CEO for thousands of employees.

Someone asked our guest speaker to tell us the most important lessons he has learned during his career.

He spoke about the importance of focus and product— then left us with parting advice that was remarkably simple.

“Close your laptops and shut off your phones during meetings. I’m not kidding.”

Yesterday, we had a 10 person meeting at Tinder and the leader of our group followed his advice.

As we walked into the room, we were asked to close our laptops and shut off our phones.

Everyone accepted the challenge. The result was amazing to see.

The room was focused and engaged for 30 straight minutes. There were no interruptions. It was the most productive meeting in a long time.

Sometimes the most important advice is also the simplest.

“Close your laptops and shut off your phones during meetings” — an easy thing to do, but often forgotten in our busy world.