Conducting an AMA (Ask Me Anything) within a meeting is referred to as MAMA (Meeting as an AMA).
MAMA involves holding a meeting that lasts anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes, where the entire content is dedicated to an AMA format.
AMA stands for Ask Me Anything. Originally a Reddit culture, it involves gathering a multitude of questions from people with prompts like “I am ~~; do you have any questions?” In MAMA, however, it is used in a slightly different manner. Here, you designate only one respondent who will answer any and all questions from participants. The respondent remains the same throughout the session; if you wish to set a different respondent, you must organize a new MAMA session.
The number of participants can vary from a few individuals to a large group. In smaller groups, the same person can ask several questions for in-depth understanding, whereas larger groups may focus more on a variety of questions from different perspectives.
Here are some examples of MAMA in practice:
The primary benefit of MAMA is that it is Member Driven.
A common anti-pattern is the one-sided communication from superiors or facilitators, which frequently fails to resonate and becomes counterproductive. Just as customer feedback is vital in business, the voice of team members is crucial in organizations and projects. MAMA is an optimal way to elicit and amplify that voice.
Let’s organize some common discussions in a Q&A format.
Ans: Eliminate penalties and demonstrate incentives.
First and foremost, if there is a penalty for asking “irresponsible questions,” naturally, no one will ask anything.
Even if there’s a decent level of psychological safety, without substantial benefits, it becomes “just a hassle,” and people still won’t ask questions. The only exception is when there’s a promise of revealing unknown information, in which case the information itself serves as an incentive.
However, from the questioner’s perspective, what they actually hope for is not just to get answers but to see concrete action being taken. They desire commitment or decision-making as answers. The fact and trust that the respondent will act accordingly is the true incentive.
Ans: Yes, it is necessary.
Clearly define who will be answering questions, what their role is, and what types of questions they will entertain before the meeting. Also decide whether the session will involve in-depth discussion among a few participants or a broader range of questions in a larger group. In the former case, make sure to limit the number of participants.
When announcing the session, it is advisable to do so at least one day in advance, so participants have some time to think about what questions they want to ask.
Ans: Continue for the full duration.
Think of it like a brainstorming session. Even if you run out of questions, persist. This is often when the most significant questions emerge. In fact, the real breakthrough happens after you run out of questions, and in my experience, this is when critical inquiries tend to surface.
Ans: Facilitate actively.
MAMA is dedicated to Q&A and is not a casual chat session. The simple structure of asking a question and providing an answer should be repeated throughout.
I recommend using a kitchen timer. If the discussion drifts into chatter, the facilitator (usually the respondent) should set a 30-second timer and return to Q&A once the timer rings. If you manage to return to Q&A before the timer ends, that’s perfectly fine (no need to wait the full 30 seconds unnecessarily).
Ans: Feel free to handle it any way you like.
The healthy benchmark for MAMA is that silence is not present, or is nearly absent. This state is called Silentless. If silence does occur, it indicates that the MAMA session is not yet mature.
To reiterate, ensure facilitation maintains Silentless. If the session naturally achieves Silentless, there’s no need for additional structure. Otherwise, introduce formal facilitation—such as passing around a question token or organizing a stack or queue for questions—to prevent silence.
I have introduced MAMA, a meeting style conducted as an AMA.
It’s an incredibly useful format for member-driven communication, with the potential to serve as a replacement or successor to one-on-one meetings. Please feel free to utilize it. Until next time.