Privacy Policy

Better Meetings by Design LTD (“Better Meetings by Design”, "we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. https://www.bettermeetingsbydesign.com (“our website”) is provided by Better Meetings by Design.
1. Our Commitment to Privacy
We take the protection of your personal data seriously. This privacy policy outlines how we collect, use, and share data that identifies or is linked to you ("personal data") whether you're purchasing our products, using our website, or interacting with us for business purposes. It applies to all users of our website and anyone engaging with us for business purposes ("you" or "your"). This policy also details your rights concerning your personal data and provides information on how to contact us or relevant regulators in case of any concerns.
2. About Us
Better Meetings by Design is the creator, developer, and publisher of skills development products for professional use. Our registered office is at Fosse Acre, Dunkerton, Bath, England BA2 8BR.
We are the data controller for the personal data we hold about you.
If you have questions about this privacy policy or our approach to privacy, please reach out to us at info@bmbd.uk.
3. Personal Data Collection and Usage
Refer to Annex 1 for a breakdown of the categories of personal data we collect, how we use it, and the legal basis for processing. Generally, we collect personal data voluntarily provided by you, such as your name and contact details, during registration, product purchases, or other business interactions. We may also automatically collect certain data, like your device's Internet Protocol address, browser type, and information on how you use our website. We use this information to communicate with you, fulfil agreements, conduct marketing activities, and for day-to-day business operations, as detailed in Annex 1. We may link or combine the personal data voluntarily provided by you with automatically collected information to offer you a personalized experience.
4. Collecting Your Personal Data
We collect personal data directly from you—whether in person via our website or through cookies (see section 11 for more information on cookies).
5. Marketing
We use your personal data to send you updates about our products through various channels. We only use your personal data for marketing if you've given us consent (see section 3 above). You can opt out anytime by contacting us at info@bmbd.uk or using the 'unsubscribe' link in emails.
From time-to-time we may ask you to confirm or update your marketing preferences to continue to do business with us, or if there are changes in. the law, regulation, or the way we conduct our business.
We will never share your personal data with other organizations for marketing purposes.
6. Sharing Your Personal Data
We share personal data with third parties involved in delivering our products, running our business, and those approved by you such as social media sites you link your account to, or third party payment providers. These parties handle your data with appropriate measures in place. We or the mentioned third parties may also share personal data with external auditors, legal entities, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant parties in certain circumstances.
Where other parties have or may acquire control or ownership of our business (including our or their professional advisors) usually, information will be anonymized, but this may not always be possible. In these instances, the recipient of any of your personal data will be bound by confidentiality obligations.
7. Storing and Transferring Your personal Data Out of the UK and EEA
Your personal data may be stored in our offices and those of our third-party partners. We may transfer your personal data to countries outside the United Kingdom (“UK”) and European Economic Area (“EEA”) where, for example, third party service provides may be located. In some instances, this might mean your personal data is transferred to a country which is not recognised as having an adequate level of protection for personal data by the UK government and/or the European Commission. International transfers such as these will be made pursuant to appropriate safeguards, such as standard data protection clauses adopted by the UK government or the European Commission.
8. Personal Data Retention Period
We retain your personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which we collected it. The retention period depends on various factors, including legal, regulatory, and operational requirements. Following this period, we delete or anonymize your personal data. In the event of a complaint, or if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation in respect of our relationship with you, we may retain your personal data for a longer period.
To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data we consider factors such as:
  • The quantity, type, and sensitivity of the personal data.
  • The potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of personal data.
  • The purposes for which we process your personal data.
  • Whether we can achieve those purpose through other means, and
  • The applicable legal, regulatory, and operating requirements.
9. Your Rights
If you are in the UK or EEA, you have certain rights related to your personal data, and you can exercise them free of charge.
Your rights in simple terms:
  • Access: You have the right to get a copy of your personal data.
  • Rectification: If there are mistakes in your data, you can ask us to correct them.
  • Erasure (Right to be forgotten): You can ask us to delete your personal data in certain situations.
  • Restriction of Processing: You can ask us to limit the use of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example if you believe your personal data is not accurate.
  • Data Portability: You can receive your personal data you gave us in a readable format and, in some cases, send it to another party.
  • To Object: You can object to your personal data being used for direct marketing purposes or, in certain situations object to us continuing to process your personal data unless there are strong reasons to do so.
  • Not to be Subject to Automated Decisions: You have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affects you, such as legally
  • The Right to Withdraw Consents: If you gave us permission to use your personal data, you can easily take it back at any time. Just email us at info@bmbd.uk. This withdrawal won’t affect our legal use of your personal data prior to the withdrawal.
Please be aware that the rights mentioned above aren't absolute, and there may be situations where we can decline requests, either in full or in part, based on applicable law exceptions. If you want to exercise any of these rights or have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please reach out to us using the contact details at the end of this privacy policy. If you're in the UK or EEA, you also have the right to file a complaint with your national data protection authority. In the UK, it's the Information Commissioner's Office ("ICO"). You can learn how to make a complaint to the ICO at www.ico.org.uk. For EEA residents, information on your local data protection regulator can be found here.
10. Personal Data Security
We have appropriate security measures to prevent accidental loss, unauthorized access, or unlawful use of personal data. Access to your personal data is restricted to individuals with a genuine business need, and they process it in an authorized and confidential manner. In the event of a suspected data security breach, we have established procedures and will notify you and relevant regulators when legally required. Despite these precautions, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized individuals will not obtain access to personal data.
11. Cookies and Similar Technologies
To enhance your experience on our website, we use cookies and similar technologies for various purposes.
12. Links to Third Party Websites
Our website may have links to third-party websites, including those of other organizations and affiliates. Keep in mind that these websites have their own privacy policies, and we do not accept responsibility or liability for their policies. Before providing any information to these websites, please check their individual privacy policies.
13. Changes to this Policy
We may update this privacy policy periodically, so it's a good idea to review this page from time to time. In the case of material changes, we may notify you via email or through a prominent notice on our website before the changes take effect. Changes to this policy become effective when posted on this page.
14. Notice to You
When we need to communicate information to you for legal, marketing, or other business-related purposes, we'll choose the most effective method. Typically, this will be through email or by posting a notice on our website.
15. Contacting Us
For any questions, comments, or requests related to this privacy policy, please reach out to us at info@bmbd.uk.
This privacy policy was last modified on the 01/October/2023.

ANNEX 1 - Data, How We Use It, and Why We Collect It

In each instance, the Data we collect is shown in bold text.
  1. Category of Personal Data collected: Contact details (including name, email address, phone number etc.) and account details (including username, password, and communication preferences).

    How we use it: To sign you up for our website and to facilitate your purchase of our products. Also, to manage your account, send you updates on purchases, allow you to interact with us by providing feedback and posting comments, and so we can handle any legal matters.

    Why we collect it: For the performance of a contract between us, and to protect our business, interests, and rights, and those of others.

  2. Category of Personal Data collected: Contact details and accounts details (as previously) plus order details (including details of your purchases).

    How we use it: To enable you to use our website and for us to fulfil your purchases.

    Why we collect it: For the performance of a contract between us.

  3. Category of Personal Data collected: Correspondence and communication data (including content of your emails, messages, and other communications with us), and contact information (as previously).

    How we use it: To respond to queries and complaints, and to provide you with information and materials you request from us. If you have a business relationship with us (e.g. associate or contractor), we use these details in our business dealings with you.

    Why we collect it: For the performance of a contract between us, whatever our relationship (e.g. customer or contractor), and if you are a customer, it is our legitimate interests to provide what you require to maintain good customer relations with you. If you are a contractor, it is our legitimate interests to respond to your queries and communicate with you relating to business relationship between us.

  4. Category of Personal Data collected: Payment details (including e.g., card and online payment system details), and account details (as previously) and contact details (as previously plus billing address).

    How we use it: To process and fulfil your purchases of our products, and to maintain accounts and records as required under applicable law.

    Why we collect it: For the performance of a contract between us, and for compliance with legal obligation.

  5. Category of Personal Data collected: Contact details (as previously) plus marketing preferences (including marketing consents).

    How we use it: For marketing and advertising purposes (including sending you marketing information e.g. offers and newsletters), and for measuring marketing effectiveness.

    Why we collect it: For the purpose of consent (if required under applicable law).

  6. Category of Personal Data collected: Account details (as previously), technical data (including IP address, browser type, internet service provider, device identifier, your login information, time zone setting, geographic location, browser plug-in types and versions, preferred language, activities, and operating system and platform).

    How we use it: To rectify problems and errors with our website, and to protect the security of our website, systems, and data.

    Why we collect it: To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. Also, it is our legitimate interests to monitor our website performance and to ensure it functions properly, and securely, as well as to protect our website, systems, and data, and to detect and prevent any criminal activities that could be damaging for you, and for us.

  7. Category of Personal Data collected: Technical data (as previously), plus usage data (including URL, clickstream to, through and from the website, pages you viewed and searched for, page response times, length of visits to certain pages, referral source/exit pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks and mouse-overs), date and time pages are accessed, website navigation and search terms used).

    How we use it: To analyse your interaction with our website, including measuring our website’s performance, and for improving its performance. Also, to provide adverts that align with your interests, and to measure the effectiveness of those adverts.

    Why we collect it: For the purposes of consent.

  8. Category of Personal Data collected: ontact details (as previously, plus company details), and online presence (including your social media profiles).

    How we use it: To communicate with you for the purpose of any potential business relationships with you as a contractor resource.

    Why we collect it: It is in our legitimate interests to engage with you, to respond to your queries and to enter into discussions regarding potential business relationships with you as a contractor resource.

Start Your Journey Today...

Better Meetings Ambassadors' Program - Ultimate Bundle

  • Physical & Digital Better Meetings Cards
  • Digital Learning Experience
  • Global Meetings Data
  • Better Meetings Community
Select: £49

Digital Only Bundle

  • Digital Better Meetings Cards
  • Digital Learning Experience
Select: £39
Better Meetings by Design ® is a registered trade mark of Better Meetings by Design LTD.

Meeting Design

Design as a discipline is applied to a wide range of professional activities, but rarely to meetings. Poor design, or no design, wastes time and money, and demoralizes staff.

Meeting design is the purposeful act of creating the end-to-end meeting experience. Learn to work with the end in mind. If you don’t know what the required outcomes are, you won’t be able to articulate the purpose or the objectives.

3 - Post-meeting canvas

Post-meeting canvas

2 - In-meeting canvas

In-meeting canvas

1 - Pre-meeting canvas

Pre-meeting canvas

5 & 6 - Post-meeting steps

Step 5: Pursue
  • How will you maintain momentum?
  • What will you need to do to keep participants engaged?
  • How will you ensure all tasks are completed on time, and are aligned to the objective/s and outcome/s?
  • How will you help create bandwidth and manage time?
Step 6: Persist
  • How do you manage and resolve conflict?
  • How do you respect workloads?
  • How do you encourage, lead, and support the team when the going gets tough?
  • How do you avoid the need for another meeting?

3 & 4 - In-meeting steps

Step 3: Participate
  • How will you manage and motivate the group?
  • What will you do to keep on track, and on time?
  • What are the right tools and techniques?
  • How will you engage and empower everyone?
  • How will you capture and coordinate any actions?
Step 4: Prioritize
  • How will you prioritize tasks, assessing impact and effort?
  • Who is responsible for each task?
  • How do they manage input from others?
  • What information will need providing to the broader team?
  • How will updates be shared?

1 & 2 - Pre-meeting steps

Step 1: Plan
  • What type of meeting are you having?​
  • Can you communicate the purpose and outcome?​
  • Who needs to be invited, and how many people?​
  • Can you estimate the cost of your meeting?​
  • What do they need to know, and do?​
  • What meeting format will you use?​
  • What meeting rules will you apply?
Step 2: Prepare
  • How will you ensure everyone is prepared to contribute?
  • What technologies will you use?
  • How will you facilitate the group?
  • How will you create an inclusive environment?
  • How will you manage action items, and tasks?

Post-meeting design

Design your strategy to maintain momentum. Pursue task and action completion, and persist to achieve their deliverables by helping the group manage conflicting workloads, and competing priorities. Use a responsibility assignment matrix and a goal-setting framework to increase motivation and, subsequently, performance.

In-meeting design

Design the meeting experience to encourage everyone to participate actively. Facilitate the group to achieve the meeting’s objectives, efficiently and effectively. Prioritize what needs to be done, when it needs to be completed, and who is responsible, to pave the way for successful outcome delivery.

Pre-meeting design

Get the basics right. Capture all your pre-meeting planning and preparation in a structured format. Ensure the required participants are well informed, understand the reason for meeting (the purpose) and come fully prepared to contribute confidently, and to deliver value, in an inclusive environment.

Meeting Models

A meeting should bring people together to collaborate to get work done. Teams that operate in a trust- based environment outperform those with low trust. Meeting leaders need to lead with authenticity, be able to deal with difficult situations, and empower the group to achieve the meeting’s objectives.

From your own personal brand and professional presence to team trust, culture, and group dynamics. These insights will help you move beyond the basics of meeting design.

Meeting Essentials

No two meetings are the same, even when the type and format are common. People are a huge variable in the meeting mix, so it’s important that leaders and facilitators can create a meeting environment that is accessible, inclusive, and conducive for large or small groups of diverse participants.

Leverage a selection of proven tips, techniques, and recommended best practices to help guide you on your better meetings journey.

Meeting Comms

It’s easy to take communication for granted because it’s something we do in every circumstance of our personal and professional lives.

Understand the process of communication and recognize your own, and others’, communication styles and preferences to help avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding.

Meeting Skills

Facilitation is so much more than just running a meeting. Support from an unbiased facilitator, expert in using proven tools and techniques, ensures progress is made, objectives are achieved, and roadblocks are removed.

An accomplished facilitator orchestrates the activities that are required to help the group understand and solve problems, ideate, make decisions, and manage action items.

Meeting Personas

There are six meeting leader personas that describe the role characteristics, or attributes, that a meeting leader might need to assume during the pre-meeting, in-meeting, and post-meeting phases.

Understand the personas that you need to adopt as Meeting Leader, to elicit the contribution you need from your participants, aligned with the meeting purpose and objectives.

Meeting Technologies

Technology and meetings go hand-in-hand. The majority of organizations have a preferred meeting platform, but don’t specify what specialist meeting productivity applications can be used.

Determine what meeting technologies are necessary, in addition to those that will enhance the meeting experience and improve the chance of realizing the expected outcomes.

Meeting Roles

There are six main meeting roles. An individual may have a single role for the entire meeting, or they may need to adopt various roles, for specific purposes, during the course of the meeting. The leader must ensure everyone understands their role requirements so that they are able to contribute real value.

Define who you need to invite, and understand the specific role that your participants must play, ensuring that they arrive prepared and able to contribute meaningful value.

Meeting Formats

What’s the right blend of synchronous and asynchronous communication to get things done efficiently and effectively? What are the considerations for your in-person, remote, or hybrid meetings?

Recognize the importance of the meeting experience for participants, irrespective of the format (in-person, remote, or hybrid), to guarantee that it is accessible and inclusive for all.

Meeting Types

Is the meeting for problem solving, information sharing, ideation, decision making, status updates, or team building? Or most likely, a combination of several ‘meeting types’ all in one meeting.

Identify the specific meeting type you are leading, to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of that meeting. Determine how to get the best outcomes from every meeting.