If you’re using Goodmeetings to run your team’s meetings, you probably want everyone on the same page—and not just another tool that creates more chaos. This guide is for team leads, project managers, or anyone tired of herding cats over Zoom and endless threads. We’ll walk through how to actually get people working together in Goodmeetings, assign roles that matter, and avoid busywork and confusion.
Let’s skip the sales pitch and get right to what works (and what sometimes doesn’t).
First, What Is Goodmeetings (and What’s It Not)?
Goodmeetings is a tool built to help teams run better meetings: shared agenda, live notes, action items, and follow-ups. It’s not a replacement for Slack, a project manager, or your boss. It won’t magically fix bad habits or broken processes, but if you want to make meetings suck less and actually get things done, it’s a solid pick.
What you get: - Shared meeting spaces for recurring or one-off meetings - Team roles (Organizer, Contributor, Guest, etc.) - Real-time note-taking and action tracking - Integrations with calendars and (sometimes) other tools
What you don’t get:
- Deep project management features (don’t try to run your whole company here)
- Complex permission systems (it’s simple by design)
- AI that “runs your meetings for you” (thankfully)
Step 1: Set Up Your Team and Meetings
Before you can assign roles, you need your team in the system and your meetings set up.
1.1 Create or Join a Team
- If you’re the admin/lead: Create a new team from your Goodmeetings dashboard. Think of a team as a workspace—usually your department, project, or working group.
- Inviting others: You can invite teammates by email. They’ll get a link to join and set up their profile.
- Pro tip: Don’t invite the whole company unless you want chaos. Start small—just the folks who need to be there.
1.2 Set Up Meeting Spaces
- Recurring meetings: Use templates for your weekly stand-ups, 1:1s, or project check-ins. This saves time and keeps things predictable.
- One-off meetings: For ad-hoc discussions, set up a new meeting as needed.
- Calendar integration: Connect your Google or Outlook calendar so meetings show up automatically. This avoids double-booking or “which link are we using?” confusion.
Step 2: Assign Roles (And Why You Should Care)
Goodmeetings keeps roles pretty simple, which is usually a good thing. Here’s the rundown:
- Organizer: Runs the meeting. Can edit agenda, assign action items, and manage attendees.
- Contributor: Can add notes, suggest agenda items, and take action items.
- Guest: Can join meetings, see notes, and contribute as needed, but usually has limited permissions.
2.1 Why Roles Matter
- Clarity: Everyone knows who’s running the show, who’s capturing notes, and who’s just listening.
- Accountability: When action items get assigned, they’re tied to real people. No more “I thought someone else was doing it.”
- Less clutter: Guests can follow along without accidentally editing notes or agenda items.
2.2 How to Assign Roles
- Open the team or meeting space.
- Go to the “Members” or “Participants” section. You’ll see a list of everyone invited.
- Assign roles: There’s usually a dropdown or “Edit role” option next to each name. Pick Organizer, Contributor, or Guest.
- Save changes. (Obvious, but easy to forget. If you don’t save, nothing happens.)
Honest take:
Don’t overthink roles. Assign an Organizer (usually the lead or whoever cares most), a few Contributors, and leave everyone else as Guests. You can always change it later.
Step 3: Run Meetings That Don’t Waste Time
Assigning roles is only useful if you actually use them. Here’s how to keep things moving:
3.1 Set a Clear Agenda
- Organizers: Build the agenda before the meeting. Goodmeetings lets you add topics and time estimates.
- Contributors: Add items if you’ve got something to discuss. Don’t hijack the meeting with random rants—keep it on-topic.
- Pro tip: If nobody adds agenda items, cancel the meeting. Don’t meet just because it’s on the calendar.
3.2 Take Notes in Real Time
- Contributors: Take shared notes during the meeting. Goodmeetings lets everyone see what’s being captured.
- Organizer: Steer the conversation and make sure notes are accurate.
- Guests: Pipe up if something’s missed, but mainly observe.
3.3 Assign Action Items (And Actually Follow Up)
- During the meeting, assign action items to specific people. Goodmeetings lets you tag someone, set a deadline, and keep it visible for follow-up.
- After the meeting, review action items. People get reminders if something’s due.
What works:
Assigning action items in the meeting means less “who’s doing what?” confusion later.
What doesn’t:
Don’t assign everything to yourself or the Organizer—they’ll burn out, and things will slip.
Step 4: Manage Access and Privacy
Sometimes you want to keep meetings private (like manager 1:1s) or open things up to a wider group.
- Private meetings: Only invited members can see notes and agenda. Great for sensitive topics.
- Public meetings (within your team): Anyone in the team can see and join. Good for company-wide updates.
Tip:
Don’t put confidential stuff in a public meeting by accident. Double-check who has access before sharing sensitive notes.
Step 5: Review, Adjust, and Don’t Get Fancy
Roles and permissions should help—not slow you down. If you notice people are confused or not participating, tweak the roles.
5.1 Common Pitfalls (And Fixes)
- Too many Organizers: Everyone edits everything, and it’s chaos. Stick to one or two.
- No Contributors: Meetings become lectures. Encourage more people to contribute.
- Guests feel left out: If someone needs to participate, bump them up to Contributor.
5.2 When to Change Things
- New project: Revisit roles for new stakeholders.
- Team changes: If someone leaves or joins, update roles right away.
- Feedback: If people complain about access or responsibility, listen and adjust.
What to Ignore
- Don’t micromanage roles: You don’t need a custom title for every person. Keep it simple.
- Ignore “AI-powered” features (for now): If Goodmeetings adds some AI note-taker, treat it as a backup, not a replacement for paying attention.
- Don’t rely on notifications alone: People miss emails. Do quick recaps at the start of each meeting.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
You don’t need a PhD in collaboration to make Goodmeetings work for your team. Start with basic roles, use shared agendas and notes, and keep your action items clear. If something’s not working, change it. The point is to get things done, not to play “meeting manager” all day.
Stick to what’s simple, review how it’s going every few weeks, and don’t be afraid to ignore features you don’t need. Meetings should help your team—not get in the way.