If your weekly calendar looks like the loser in a state fair quilt competition - just solid blocks of mismatched colors with no room to breathe - this episode is for you. Today, we're joined by facilitation expert Evan Unger to talk about a topic that Kate and Kim geek out over: meetings. Specifically, why most of them are terrible, how they drain organizational productivity, and exactly what you can do to fix yours.

We also tackle one of the most delicate situations in project management: how to handle the HIPPO (Highest Paid Person's Opinion) when they barge into your meeting and try to completely take over the flight controls. Grab a drink, settle in, and let's get into it.

• On owning your time: "If you don't own your calendar, you don't own your life." – Kim

• On the true cost of bad meetings: "If you're spending 50% of your time in meetings [that are less than 50% effective], you're literally going to spend a year's worth of your life and hours in meetings in under a decade. How organizations tolerate this, I have no idea." – Evan

• On visibility: "Every meeting is a leadership moment." – Evan

• On career survival: "We don't want to make hippos wrong because there's career limiting interventions. I mean, let's be honest, they have power and authority over us." – Evan

• On meeting math: "Nine things on an agenda in a 40-minute meeting is 4.44 minutes per agenda item. That's just not possible. It is better to end early than to run over." – Kate

• The Meeting Metaphor (Flying the Plane): Every meeting needs three phases. Takeoff (getting aligned), the Flight (the process/agenda), and Landing (saving 5-10 minutes at the end to secure next steps and accountability). Do not run out of fuel and crash. Leave time to land the plane.

• The POPRA Model for Meeting Prep: Don't accept or run meetings without knowing these five things:

• • Purpose: Why are we here?

  • Objectives: What are the specific deliverables or decisions needed?

  • Process: What is the agenda?

  • Roles: Who is the ultimate decision-maker? Who is the SME?

  • Agreements: How will we interact and handle disagreements?

• The AREA Model for Taming the HIPPO: When a senior leader tries to bulldoze the process:

• • Acknowledge: Validate their right to a point of view without necessarily agreeing.

  • Reframe: Tie the conversation back to the project's purpose or objectives.

  • Engage: Ask neutral questions to open the floor ("Would you be willing to listen to other perspectives on this?")

  • Align: Bring the group's feedback back to the leader to help them make a better, more informed decision.

• The Power of Simultaneous Chat: To break the dominance of the loudest voices (and the HIPPO), ask a question and have everyone type their answer in the chat without hitting enter. On the count of three, everyone submits at once. This holds space for introverts, junior staff, and non-native English speakers to contribute without getting run over.

• Process is Your Shield: If a leader has a strong opinion, use process structure to ensure all sides are heard. Force the group to list "Pros" before "Cons," or use a timer to keep long-winded talkers (even the boss) in check.

• Connect with Evan Unger: Find Evan on LinkedIn (look for the blue/black check shirt and the impish grin, not the doctor!). Note: Evan is generously offering $2,000 off a seat in his training program for PM Happy Hour listeners!

• Books Mentioned: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni.

• Join the Conversation: Want to geek out about project management with us? Check out the PM Happy Hour membership site at https://www.pmhappyhour.com/membership.

• Say Hello: Hit us up on Facebook at PM Happy Hour or find our contact info on the website under "About Your Hosts."

Boss fights and boardrooms. Kate puts Kim through meeting hell in this tabletop roleplay episode.

Kate: "Help me torture Kim."

That was the prompt.

What followed was a meeting dungeon built from listener-submitted horror stories, tabletop chaos, and the exact kinds of project meetings that make smart people question their career choices.

In this April Fool's episode of Project Management Happy Hour, Kate becomes game master and throws Kim into a gauntlet of cursed kickoffs, bloated status meetings, executive dodging, and stakeholder nonsense. It's funny because it's absurd. It lands because it's true.

"My dice are green like all of my status reports."

The setup is playful. The meeting pain is not.

Kim tries to survive a kickoff with distracted leaders, a giant update meeting nobody needed, a build-versus-buy conversation where nobody wants to own the decision, and a phase gate where "close enough" suddenly becomes everyone else's problem. As the dungeon gets worse, you hear what experienced project managers actually do under pressure: reset the room, cut through noise, force clarity, and keep momentum when everyone else is drifting.

"This is how Kim would operate in a meeting."

That's what makes this episode so fun - and insightful. The dice are a toy. The project management is real.

If you've ever had a sponsor with a hard stop in ten minutes, a technical lead who gets defensive the second testing reveals a problem, or a leadership team that turns every decision into one more meeting, this episode will feel painfully familiar.

"We survived that near miss. It's okay. Next time we'll be okay."

A lot of bad meeting habits stick around because teams get used to surviving them. This episode turns that reality into entertainment—and into a sharp reminder that surviving dysfunction is not the same as managing well.

And because it's PM Happy Hour, the whole thing is loaded with lines that hit for PMs immediately.

"We can't food bribe our way out of every meeting disaster."

"I need you to do a speed run of a project."

"It is 2 hours long."

That last one might be the most terrifying quote in the whole episode.

• a kickoff already heading off the rails

• a giant status meeting from hell

• executive indecision in full view

• a technical lead bringing equal parts talent and chaos

• a release decision that gets messy fast

• Get to purpose fast.

• Push for the real decision.

• Keep updates short and relevant.

• Make the cost of delay visible.

• Manage the room, not just the agenda.

• Don't let technical defensiveness hijack the issue.

• Find the compromise that keeps momentum.

If your work depends on steering messy rooms, stubborn stakeholders, and overloaded calendars toward an actual outcome, this episode will feel like both comedy and continuing education.

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Escalation: it's a word that can make even experienced project managers tense. But what if you approached it as a tool rather than a threat? In this Top Shelf Replay of Project Management Happy Hour, we revisit the classic episode "Embracing De-escalation," exploring how savvy project managers use escalation to enhance visibility, make informed decisions, and navigate risk—without losing their cool.

Hosts Kim and Kate dive into the nuances of escalation, showing how the best project leaders balance assertiveness with thoughtful communication. Far from being a reactive panic button, escalation can be a strategic lever to guide projects, protect team morale, and keep stakeholders in the loop.

In this episode, we cover real-world examples of when to escalate, how to frame your message, and why keeping your sponsor engaged is critical for project success. From handling medium-urgency issues to preventing scope creep, Kim and Kate provide a roadmap for using escalation effectively—turning potential project risks into opportunities for alignment and growth.

Expect memorable metaphors, including broccoli for "healthy escalation habits" and creative exercises from the improv world to illustrate collaboration and communication.

By the end of this episode, you'll understand how to elevate project visibility, manage competing priorities, and leverage escalation strategically, all while maintaining calm and confidence.

Key Quotes from This Episode:
"Escalation is just another tool in your project management box, and it's one of the best."
"Sometimes you almost kinda need to grab the sponsor and tell them to step up—they are the sponsor, and it's their project."
"Think of escalation as eating your vegetables: a healthy activity that keeps your project going strong."
"Escalating helps your sponsor make decisions whether they want to or not."

Key Concepts

1. The strategic use of escalation to improve visibility and decision making.

2. Balancing sponsor engagement with day-to-day project leadership.

3. Recognizing when a problem exceeds your decision-making authority.

4. Communication techniques for reducing tension during escalations.

5. Viewing project status and benefits realization beyond standard red/amber/green metrics.
   
   

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