⎇ FORUM PLAYBOOK   [ MEETING TOOLS ]  │  DOCUMENT  THE 4-HOUR FORUM MEETING BLUEPRINT  │ v1.0 │ Updated: July 2026 │ ForumPlaybook.com
[ MEETING TOOLS ]

The 4-Hour Forum Meeting Blueprint

When the forum is together, the question is always the same: what is the highest and best use of that time? The front half of the meeting is structured. The back half runs off the queue you built in hour one.

The Four Hours

  1. Hour 1: Opening rituals + 5% reflections. Phones off, confidentiality reminder, 60 seconds to enter forum mindset. Clearing round, every person, all three: am I clear with our people, our process, myself? Then 5% reflections. After each member: anything for the parking lot, and anything you want to nominate for today's impromptu queue?
  2. Hour 2: The planned deep dive. 45-60 minutes with a break. An EQ topic pulled from the presenter's parking lot, never "what is going on for me this month." Coaching happened a week ago: one hour, worksheets, and a 2 minute coach opener at the meeting. Do that and 90% of the heavy lifting is done.
  3. Hours 3-4: The impromptu queue. By the end of 5% reflections you should have 3-5 parking lot adds and a queue of topics. EQ topics first: 30-40 minutes with open coaching. Then knock out the IQ items as 10-12 minute lightning rounds.
  4. Close: Confirm and clear out. Confirm next month's presenter, coach, and host, then debrief in one question: how was this meeting different from what you expected? Updates (the kid won the soccer game, you hired the number two) go to the text thread and dinner after, not meeting time.

"First hour is opening rituals and five percent reflections. Second hour, the planned deep dive. Then the last two hours are pulled from your five percent reflections: an impromptu deep dive or some IQ topics."

Colton Mulligan, Forum Chair Training, May 2026

What Keeps It On the Rails

Do
  • Book presenters 6-12 months out. Last month's presenter coaches this month's.
  • Put the whole structure in the calendar invite: who hosts, who presents, who coaches.
  • Start on time. Rolling five minutes after, and lateness or an unfinished 5% costs real money.
  • Moderator keeps the queue: "I caught a couple things" at the end of reflections.
Don't
  • No clarifying-question rounds. They have been out for five years; they are sneaky advice phrased as a question.
  • Don't burn meeting time on updates everyone already knows. If anybody outside the forum knows it, it is not 5%.
  • Don't let the moderator role feel administrative. Offload the calendar and the parking lot to other members.
  • Don't figure out next month's deep dive at the end of the meeting.
Sources: Created by Colton Mulligan for Forum Playbook. Agenda structure from his forum chair trainings and EO Atlanta Advanced Training (May 2026); clearing formula adapted from Cesar Quintero. Pairs with the Forum Organizer Spreadsheet on ForumPlaybook.com.