Live Doc Meeting
A Live Doc Meeting is a meeting run from one shared, editable agenda document: questions and proposals are written into a numbered list before the call, handled strictly in that order, and answered and noted inline by the attendees while the conversation happens. The format comes from GitLab's all-remote handbook, where a work meeting without such an agenda is not supposed to take place. When the call ends, the document is already the complete record, readable by anyone who could not attend.
Facilitation script
- 1
Open with a short summary of the goal and the expected outcome. Point people to the numbered list and remind them to take notes under each item while others speak.
2 min - 2
Take item 1. Ask the author to voice it, or read it for them. Let the discussion run while attendees capture the answer and next step inline.
6 min - 3
Continue down the list in written order. When the talk drifts to another topic, add it as a new item at the bottom and return to the current one.
20 min - 4
Five minutes before the end, stop at the current item. Scroll through the notes together and check that every decision and next step has a name and a date.
5 min - 5
Agree what happens with untouched items: answer in writing, carry over, or drop. Close the call and share the document and recording with absentees.
2 min
Tips
Hold the written order even when a senior person wants to jump ahead; the order is what stops the most talkative voice from taking the meeting.
Ask two people to alternate as note-takers on busy items, because one person rarely keeps up with a fast exchange.
If the list is empty an hour before the call, cancel it and say why.
That does more to establish the habit than any reminder.
Common pitfalls
Nobody writes items in advance, so the host fills the list alone and the meeting turns back into a presentation with a document attached
Only one person takes notes: they cannot take part in the discussion, the notes lag behind, and the record ends up reflecting one person's reading of events
The host lets people skip ahead to the item they care about, which hands the meeting back to the loudest voice and leaves early items unanswered
Notes are collected in a separate section at the bottom instead of under each item, so readers can no longer tell which answer belongs to which question
The document has restricted sharing settings and the first minutes are lost to access requests, which teaches people that the agenda is optional
Variations
Asynchronous first: let people answer items in writing before the call and use the live time only for the items that still need discussion. Silent start: give the first five minutes to reading and commenting in the document before anyone speaks, which is close to a Silent Meeting. In person or hybrid: project the document and still ask everyone to type into it from their own device, otherwise the remote attendees lose their equal footing. For a recurring meeting, keep one running document with the newest date at the top so the history stays searchable.
Where it fits
When to use it
A recurring team meeting produces decisions that nobody can find or reconstruct two weeks later
The team is spread across time zones and some members can only contribute before or after the call
A few people do most of the talking and quieter colleagues rarely get their questions in
Attendance changes from week to week and absentees need to catch up without a separate summary
You want to cut status presentations and spend the live time on questions and decisions
When not to use it
The purpose is informal connection: a typed agenda kills a social conversation, so use a Random Coffee or an unstructured chat instead
The group needs to generate and build on ideas visually; use a whiteboard format such as an Affinity Map or a Walking Brainstorm
The topic is a conflict or a sensitive personnel matter where a permanent written record would make people guarded; hold a facilitated conversation and agree separately what gets written down
The topics cannot be known in advance and should emerge from the people present; Lean Coffee builds the agenda in the room
Participants cannot type or read along comfortably, for example on a shop floor or while travelling; use a spoken round with one designated note-taker
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Live Doc Meeting?▾
A Live Doc Meeting is a meeting built around one shared agenda document that everyone can edit. Attendees add numbered questions and proposals beforehand, the group handles them in written order, and people type the answers and next steps under each item during the call. The practice is documented in GitLab's all-remote handbook.
How long should a live doc meeting be?▾
The format itself sets no length. Teams that use it commonly book 25 or 50 minutes instead of 30 or 60, which leaves a break before the next call. If the numbered list is short, end early; the document shows plainly when the work is done.
Who takes the notes in a live doc meeting?▾
Everyone who is not speaking at that moment. Notes go directly under the agenda item being discussed, not in a separate minutes section. On fast-moving items it helps to have two people alternate so that one can type while the other catches the next speaker.
Why read questions aloud if they are already written down?▾
Hearing a question gives the whole group a moment to think about it, and speakers usually add context they left out when typing. It also makes sure that an item answered in writing by one person is actually seen by the others. If the author would rather not speak, the host reads the item for them.
How is a live doc meeting different from a silent meeting?▾
A silent meeting gives most of its time to reading and commenting on a prepared document without talking, followed by a short discussion. A live doc meeting is a spoken meeting; the document sets the order and holds the record. The two combine well when you start a live doc meeting with a few minutes of silent reading.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from GitLab (all-remote handbook).