Habit, Not Hack: MGMM — Make Group Meetings Matter (PI and Audience Edition)

Every lab meeting is a free class in what no one teaches you.

Lab meetings aren’t just routine, they're rehearsal spaces for scientific thinking, communication, and culture. But they only work if everyone, presenters, listeners, and leaders, knows how to show up with purpose.

For Graduate Students:

The Habit: Be Actively Present - Even When You’re Not Presenting

Most students sit quietly, unsure of their role. But lab meetings are a front-row seat to research culture. Learn to treat them like strategic growth sessions.

Before the Meeting:

• Skim a recent paper by the presenter (if available)

• Set one personal learning goal

• Prepare 2 questions, even if you don’t ask them

During the Meeting:

• Take notes like it’s your own project

• Track confusing terms or techniques

• Watch how your PI gives feedback:

• What earns praise?

• What triggers follow-ups or concern?

When You Speak:

• Practice asking precise, open-ended questions:

“Can you explain why that method was chosen?”
“What would be your plan B if this fails?”

After the Meeting:

• Reflect: What did I learn? What confused me?

• Follow up with a peer, or email the presenter with a kind question or comment

• Consider starting a "Lab Meeting Journal", a few lines each week will sharpen your insight over time

For Supervisors/PIs:

The Habit: Make Participation the Norm - Not the Exception

Many students treat lab meetings passively because they don’t know what’s expected. Your tone, structure, and feedback style shape whether they learn or check out.

Before the Meeting (consider the suggestions depending on the nature of the meeting):

• Send an agenda (or rough outline) 24 hrs in advance

• Ask each student to come prepared with a question or takeaway

• Consider assigning rotating roles: discussion leader, notetaker, “question spark,” etc.

During the Meeting:

• Model curiosity, not just critique

“What’s something you’re unsure about right now?”
“If you had to troubleshoot this, where would you start?”

• Invite contributions explicitly:

“Any thoughts from those who haven’t spoken yet?”

• Call out good thinking, not just good results

“That’s a great clarification, you’re thinking like a reviewer.”

After the Meeting:

• Acknowledge engagement and prep (especially from quieter students)

• Follow up 1:1 with anyone who seemed confused or disengaged

• Reflect on patterns: Are the same people always talking? Who isn’t being heard?

Why This Habit Works for Everyone

Lab meetings aren’t just about data, they’re how we rehearse clarity, handle critique, and build a lab culture of mutual learning.

• Students learn faster when they observe and participate with intention

• PIs mentor more effectively when they create space for reflection, not just reporting

This isn’t a hack.
It’s a habit.
And it transforms meetings from time-fillers into training grounds.