workshops, not meetings: a small change that actually matters

here’s a thing i learned recently: stop calling everything a meeting.

seriously.

i setup a sprint planning. big group. lots to cover. i started creating all these calendar events. “sprint planning meeting.” “architecture review meeting.” blah blah meeting.

then during the sprint planning someone on the team spoke up. “why not call them workshops instead?”

at first, i thought, “what’s the big deal? it’s just a word.”

but you know what? it wasn’t just a word.

why it works:

1. expectations. “meeting” says “sit and listen.” “workshop” says “roll up your sleeves.”

2. mindset. you don’t passively attend a workshop. you actively participate.

3. results. workshops end with something tangible. decisions. plans. actions.

the real lesson:

it’s easy to overlook the small stuff. to think words don’t matter.

but they do. a lot.

in software, we obsess over code. over architecture. over tools.

but sometimes, the biggest improvements come from the simplest changes.

like swapping one word for another.

try it:

next time you’re planning a “meeting,” try calling it a “workshop” instead.

see what happens.

you might be surprised.

because in the end, it’s not about the words we use.

it’s about the work we do.

and sometimes, the right words can make all the difference.