Meeting Leader Guide

Step-by-step walkthrough for meeting leads

This is a complete step-by-step guide for the meeting lead. Follow this checklist each week you’re the lead.

TipFirst Time Leading?

Read GitHub Fundamentals first to understand how Discussions, Issues, and PRs work.

Can’t Lead Your Assigned Week?

If you’re traveling, sick, or otherwise unavailable:

  1. Find a swap - Check the rotation schedule, ask someone to trade weeks
  2. Update the schedule - Edit .github/meeting-rotation.yml with the swap
  3. Notify the team - Post in Teams #general: “@[new-lead] is covering for me on [date]”
  4. Timing - Do this at least 1 week ahead when possible

For last-minute emergencies, message Dr. Rashid and post in Teams immediately.

Phase 1: Create the Agenda (Tuesday)

Goal: Create a GitHub Discussion thread where everyone can add agenda items.

Step 1.1: Navigate to Discussions

  1. Go to github.com/rashidlab/lab-handbook
  2. Click the Discussions tab at the top
  3. Click New discussion (green button)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Code   Issues   Pull requests   Discussions   ...      │
│                                  ^^^^^^^^^^^            │
│                                  Click here             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 1.2: Select Category

  1. Select Lab Meetings category
  2. This ensures the discussion appears in the right place
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Select a category                                       │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ ○ Announcements                                     │ │
│ │ ○ General                                           │ │
│ │ ● Lab Meetings  ← Select this                       │ │
│ │ ○ Journal Club                                      │ │
│ │ ○ Q&A                                               │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 1.3: Create the Thread

  1. Title: Lab Meeting - YYYY-MM-DD (use this Thursday’s date)

    • Example: Lab Meeting - 2026-02-07

  2. Body: Copy the Agenda Template and paste it

  3. Fill in the template:

    • Replace [DATE] with the meeting date
    • Replace @[github-username] with your GitHub username
    • Add the confirmed presenter(s) to the Research Updates section
    • Add the Teams meeting link or room number

  4. Click Start discussion

Step 1.4: Post a Reminder in Teams

Post in the #general Teams channel:

📋 Lab meeting agenda is up for Thursday [DATE]!

Please add your items by Wednesday 5pm:
https://github.com/rashidlab/lab-handbook/discussions/[DISCUSSION_NUMBER]

This week:
- Lead: @[your name]
- Presenter: @[presenter name]

Phase 2: Monitor Contributions (Wednesday)

Goal: Ensure everyone has a chance to add items and send a final reminder.

Step 2.1: Check the Thread

  1. Go to your Discussion thread
  2. See if people have replied with agenda items
  3. Incorporate their items into the main agenda if helpful

Step 2.2: Send Final Reminder

If few items have been added, post in Teams:

⏰ Reminder: Add your lab meeting items by 5pm today!

Link: https://github.com/rashidlab/lab-handbook/discussions/[NUMBER]

Topics so far:
- [List current items]

Anything to add? Drop it in the thread!

Step 2.3: Confirm with Presenter(s)

Direct message or tag the presenter(s): - Confirm they’re prepared - Ask how much time they need - Ask if they need anything (screen share, etc.)

Phase 3: Facilitate the Meeting (Thursday)

Goal: Run an efficient meeting and capture key information.

Step 3.1: Before the Meeting (5 min prior)

  1. Open the Discussion thread on your screen
  2. Have a note-taking document ready (or note directly in the thread)
  3. Review the agenda one more time

Step 3.2: Start the Meeting

  1. Welcome (1 min)
    • “Welcome to lab meeting. I’m [name], leading today.”
  2. Check attendees (1 min)
    • Note who’s present (you’ll update the thread later)
  3. Review last week’s action items (5 min)
    • Open last week’s Discussion thread
    • Go through each action item: “Alice, did you complete X?”
    • Note status: done, in progress, blocked, carried forward

Step 3.3: Run Through Agenda

For each agenda item:

  1. Introduce the item and the person presenting
  2. Keep time - give a 2-minute warning
  3. Capture key points:
    • Decisions made
    • Questions raised
    • Action items that come up (who, what, when)
  4. Move on when time is up
NotePro Tip: Action Items

When someone says “I’ll do X” or “We should Y,” immediately ask: - “By when?” - “Who’s responsible?”

Write it down immediately!

Step 3.4: Wrap Up (5 min before end)

  1. Summarize decisions made today
  2. Read back action items - confirm assignees and due dates
  3. Confirm next week’s lead and presenter
  4. Ask for any final items for parking lot

Phase 4: Post Meeting Notes (Thursday EOD)

Goal: Document what happened so anyone can reference it later.

Step 4.1: Update the Discussion Thread

  1. Go to your Discussion thread
  2. Click Edit on your original post (or add a reply)
  3. Add the Meeting Notes section (see Meeting Notes Template)

Include:

Section What to Write
Attendees Check off who was present
Decisions Made Any decisions the group agreed on
Discussion Summary Key points from each topic
Action Items Task, assignee, due date
Parking Lot Items deferred to later
Next Meeting Date, lead, presenter

Step 4.2: @mention Action Item Owners

For each action item, use @username to notify the assignee:

### Action Items

| Task | Assignee | Due Date | Status |
|------|----------|----------|--------|
| Run sensitivity analysis | @jsmith | 2026-02-14 | [ ] |
| Review manuscript draft | @bjones | 2026-02-12 | [ ] |

When you save, GitHub sends notifications to @jsmith and @bjones.

Step 4.3: Commit Notes to Repository

The Discussion thread is great, but we also keep a permanent record in the repo.

# 1. Go to the lab-handbook directory
cd /path/to/lab-handbook  # Use your actual clone location

# 2. Pull latest changes
git pull origin main

# 3. Create the notes file
cp meeting-notes/TEMPLATE.md meeting-notes/2026/2026-02-07-lab-meeting.md

# 4. Edit the file with your notes
# (Copy from Discussion thread, paste into file)

# 5. Commit and push
git add meeting-notes/2026/2026-02-07-lab-meeting.md
git commit -m "notes: lab meeting 2026-02-07"
git push origin main

Can’t use git? You can also: 1. Go to meeting-notes/2026/ on GitHub 2. Click Add file → Create new file 3. Name it 2026-02-07-lab-meeting.md 4. Paste your notes 5. Click Commit new file

Phase 5: Follow Up (Next Week)

Step 5.1: Hand Off to Next Lead

Post in the Discussion thread or Teams:

@[next-lead] - You're leading next week's meeting!

Reminder: Create the agenda thread by Tuesday 5pm.
Here's the guide: https://rashidlab.github.io/lab-handbook/policies/meeting-leader-guide.html

Step 5.2: Monday Action Item Check

Check in on action items mid-week: - Review the thread for status updates - Ping people who haven’t updated their items - Offer help if anyone is stuck

Checklist Summary

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday (Meeting)

Thursday (After)

Following Monday