Why Are We So Bad at Meetings?
Meetings are meant to be where collaboration happens: where ideas are shared, decisions are made, and people leave aligned on what comes next. And yet, most of us have had that sinking feeling: “Do I really need to be here?”
It is not just you. According to Harvard Business Review, executives now spend an average of 23 hours a week in meetings, almost double the amount since the 1960s. Worse still, 70% of meetings prevent employees from doing productive work, and research suggests that around one-third of all meetings are unnecessary. Combine that with the fact that poorly run meetings cost U.S. businesses an estimated US$399 billion annually, and it is easy to see why meetings have become one of the most common workplace frustrations.
So what is the answer? Do we need fewer meetings, or simply better ones?
Before the Meeting
The groundwork for a meaningful meeting starts well before anyone enters the room.
Ask yourself if a meeting is even needed: Could you achieve the same outcome with an email, Teams/Slack message, or a quick phone call? Do not schedule by default. Given that a third of meetings are unnecessary, this simple pause could save hours of wasted time.
Avoid duplicate meetings: Check whether an existing meeting already covers the topic. If so, add your agenda item there instead of creating another one.
Be clear on purpose and outcomes: State exactly what the meeting is designed to achieve. Share this upfront in the invite, and restate it when the meeting begins.
Set and share the agenda early: Provide structure, timings, and topics in advance, ideally at least 48 hours before the meeting. This should include any reading material so meeting time is spent on discussion, not catching up.
Ensure the right people are in the room: If a decision-maker is required, make sure they know they are needed. If they cannot attend, they must send a delegate empowered to make decisions.
Limit attendees: Remember Amazon’s “two pizza rule”: only invite as many people as could be fed with two pizzas. Smaller groups often mean sharper decisions.
Create a culture of permission: Encourage people to decline or leave meetings if their attendance is not essential. Protecting people’s time signals respect and drives productivity.
Assign roles in advance: Alongside the chair, appoint a timekeeper and a note-taker. This ensures decisions and actions are captured consistently.
During the Meeting
This is where structure, discipline, and culture make all the difference.
Open with expectations: State upfront that the goal is a productive and ideally quick meeting. Ask for everyone’s help through active listening and minimising distractions. A simple practice is to shut laptops and put away phones. Lead by example: there is nothing worse than repeating discussions because someone was not listening, or having a presenter feel disrespected by distracted participants.
Start on time, end on time: Respect everyone’s schedule. Assign a timekeeper (often the chair) to keep discussions focused.
Rotate the chair: In recurring meetings, try letting different attendees chair each week. This spreads accountability and freshens the dynamic.
Experiment with timings: Instead of defaulting to 30, 60, or 90 minutes, try 25, 50, or 80 minutes to allow for a quick brain break between back-to-back calls. Tip: In Outlook, you can set this as your default by going to File > Options > Calendar > Calendar Options, and selecting “End appointments early.”
Restate purpose and outcomes: Begin the meeting by reminding everyone what you are there to achieve.
Stay outcome-focused: Discussions should drive toward either an agreed decision or a clearly assigned action. Given that studies show 40% of meeting time is wasted on irrelevant discussions or unclear agendas, this discipline pays off quickly.
Use a Parking Lot: Capture off-topic or meandering discussions on a physical or virtual whiteboard. This “parking lot” ensures valuable ideas are not lost, while keeping the meeting focused on its primary outcomes.
Have your tech ready: Test your tools and connections before starting. If multiple people are presenting, combine slides into one deck ahead of time to minimise awkward transitions, screen share mishaps, and wasted minutes.
Spotlight presenters in Teams: If you are hosting on Microsoft Teams, use the spotlight feature to keep the focus on whoever is presenting. This small change boosts engagement and reduces distraction during key moments.
Use silence first: For brainstorming or problem-solving, give everyone 2–3 minutes to jot down ideas before opening the floor. This encourages independent thinking and helps quieter voices get heard.
Check energy levels: Particularly in longer meetings, a quick check-in like “On a scale of 1–10, how’s your focus?” can reset attention and prompt a short energiser if needed.
After the Meeting
Follow-through is where many meetings fail. This is where “corporate amnesia” sets in. Avoid it by closing the loop effectively:
Capture decisions: Log them clearly to prevent rehashing and to let execution teams steam ahead with confidence.
Circulate actions within 24 hours: Share who is responsible for what, and by when. This gives momentum and accountability.
Start the next meeting with updates: Kick off by recapping outstanding actions and progress. This keeps everyone aligned and accountable.
Ask for feedback: Every few meetings, check how useful the session was. A simple technique is the “fist of five”, where participants hold up 0–5 fingers to show how effective they felt the meeting was. It gives instant insight into whether the meeting is serving its purpose.
Review recurring meetings regularly: Standing meetings can easily become habit. Audit them quarterly to ensure they still serve a clear purpose and deliver value.
So… Less Meetings or Better Meetings?
With the right structure and discipline, meetings can be one of the most effective tools for driving alignment and progress. Without them, they are simply a drain on everyone’s time and energy.
Ready to Transform Your Meetings?
Imagine if you became known as the person who ran highly useful and effective meetings in your workplace. You can. By putting these practices into action, you will not only save time but also build a reputation for clarity, focus, and respect for others’ work.
Here are a few actions you can take today for more meaningful meetings:
Ask yourself if your next meeting is truly necessary, or if the outcome could be achieved via email, chat, or a quick call.
Send agendas and pre-reading at least 48 hours in advance so participants come prepared.
Open meetings by setting clear expectations: stay present, listen actively, and keep distractions away.
Experiment with shorter meeting durations (25 or 50 minutes) to give people time to reset between sessions.
Capture actions and decisions, and circulate them within 24 hours to keep momentum.
Try the “fist of five” after your next team meeting to quickly gauge effectiveness.
The Meaningful Meetings Toolkit was designed to help you put these principles into practice. It includes ready-to-use templates for agendas, actions, and decision registers: the backbone of effective, purposeful meetings.
