We All Need to be Better at Meetings – Here's How
Do you ever feel like you spend half your life in meetings, many of which could have been an email?
You aren't alone.
Unnecessary meetings suck your time and energy and stop you from getting things done.
Meetings need a rethink.
This article sets out critical questions for meeting organisers and attendees so that everyone’s wellbeing and productivity needs are prioritised.
Let's make meetings better.
If You Are Calling the Meeting
1. Is this meeting needed?
Meetings should be a two–way exchange, for example, an opportunity for creative thinking, idea generation, discussion or problem–solving.
We should not use meetings for one–way communication; in other words, the organiser sharing information with the attendees. If you need to share information, pick a different medium; for example, record a short video.
But why shouldn't you use meetings to share information? Meetings are expensive and disruptive. You should be able to trust people to consume information from you in a more independent way.
Finally, if your reason for calling a meeting is “because we have one every week”, that's not good enough. Only call a meeting if you need to.
2. How long should the meeting be?
Parkinson's Law tells us tasks expand to fill the allotted time. Meetings are the best example of this. If you have a weekly one–hour meeting scheduled, and the agenda is light for one week, you'll still be there for an hour.
Calculate how long the meeting needs to be, and don't round up to the nearest hour – round down and run your meeting efficiently.
Top tip: Your calendar software probably defaults meeting entries to one hour, but you can change this. This video shows you how to do it in Google Calendar.
3. Who needs to be there, and what do they need?
How often have you attended a meeting and reached the end thinking, “I didn't need to be here”?
Think about who needs to attend your meeting. Once you have a list, consider the needs of the attendees. Be respectful of their time. Calendar software enables meeting organisers to check attendees' availability before sending meeting requests, which is great but don't forget to factor in travel time if applicable.
4. What goes on the agenda?
While agendas might sound formal and old school, they are still the best way to organise meetings.
Send out the agenda before the meeting – ideally a week in advance – so attendees know why they are attending and what they need to prepare. Sending the agenda in advance respects your attendees' time and will mean the meeting runs efficiently.
An agenda outlines the meeting's discussion topics; it also has some standard elements:
Attendees and apologies (who is in attendance and who has apologised for their absence).
Matters arising (an update on actions from the last meeting).
Any other business (AOB – an opportunity to discuss items outside the main agenda).
Date of next meeting (only set a date for another meeting if you need one).
An alternative format is to consider placing AOB at the start so your attendees do not feel the things they want to bring are an afterthought. Another inclusive option is to co–create the agenda. This must happen before the meeting, though, and don't organise a meeting to organise a meeting! Thanks to Chloe on X for these ideas.
You can also use the agenda to calculate the length of the meeting. Include timings for each section, and use your mobile to check when a discussion is overrunning. If the agenda shows you need 35 minutes, organise a 35–minute meeting.
5. How will you notify people about the meeting?
Send out notifications a week before the meeting. People live their lives in weekly cycles; catch their attention before they've filled the following week with other unnecessary meetings.
Always use an electronic, calendar invitation, such as Google Calendar or Outlook so that invitees can accept or decline. You should attach the agenda and pre–reading to this meeting invitation.
6. Who will take the minutes?
It seems increasingly common to delegate minute-taking to a meeting attendee rather than having a skilled minute-taker present. This approach is problematic because you cannot guarantee that the person taking the minutes can type fast enough or has any minute-taking experience. Furthermore, the minute-taker cannot contribute as much to the meeting as other attendees.
A possible solution is to investigate AI-powered solutions for minute-taking; this works particularly well for online meetings.
7. Who will chair the meeting?
Don't assume the most senior person in the room should be the chair; pick the person who will do the best job.
The chair's role is to guide meeting attendees through the agenda and keep everything on track; it might sound old-fashioned, but it is essential.
A good chair will monitor the clock and move the discussion on. They will also reiterate key points and ensure clear action points are in the minutes. The chair controls the meeting and ensures attendees take part in the meeting and relevant decision-making.
If You are Attending a Meeting
1. Is there an agenda?
No one should attend a meeting without an agenda. If there is no agenda, ask for one. You can explain that you wish to prepare for the meeting.
2. Do you need to be there?
Another benefit of having an agenda before the meeting is that you can check you need to be there. If the meeting is about something irrelevant to you, decline.
3. What are your actions?
While a good set of minutes will include your actions, the notes will likely be brief. Take personal notes in the meeting and ask for clarification on deadlines if you are unsure.
What About Online Meetings?
Although they should run similarly to in-person meetings, online meetings can present additional challenges.
The meeting chair should set clear expectations of how the meeting will run at the start. For example, remind people to mute their microphones when not speaking, use the raise hand feature if they’d like to speak, and explain how you’d like the chat function used. Chat access is restricted in some web versions of standard online meeting tools. Check chat accessibility at the start of the meeting.
For many, online meetings are more tiring than in-person meetings – especially for neurodivergent colleagues – so try to keep online meetings short and allow attendees to turn off their cameras if needed.
Over to You
There are, of course, lots of different ways to run a meeting. For example, this article has not covered asynchronous meetings (something I am curious to try). It is, however, a starting point.
Please share your comments below; I'd love to know your biggest frustrations with running or attending meetings and how we can improve meetings.
