Why you are in so many pointless meetings.
It’s not you, it’s the meeting.
The reason why ‘meeting culture’ is so prevalent isn’t because people love to waste time. Numerous, ineffective meetings are an output of a lack of clarity, safety and feedback in a workplace culture.
By planning and attending effective and engaging meetings, we can positively influence our workplace culture, whether we’re the boss, or new to the gig.
Earlier in my career, I was in a meeting with 29 others.
I didn’t know why I was there. For two hours, a small group of people talked, as the rest of us watched on.
It’s not that I wasn’t listening. It’s just that all I could hear was a teeny tiny voice, bubbling with frustration from inside of my brain, silently screaming, ‘Why am I here?’.
We all have a story of a painful meeting.
I know my clients do, because they tell me about them. Like, the meeting where:
A different person MC’ed every time, without clarity on why the meeting was taking place.
Everyone was required to present, but no one prepared prior. Instead, as people presented, those not presenting would create their presentation in the background, instead of listening.
Someone wrote, in tiny letters, on a piece of paper, left behind at a meeting ‘I dont give a damn’.
Meetings, unlike many other work constructs, seem to infuriate people above all else.
Recently I asked a group of leaders to think about the most ineffective meeting they’ve ever attended.
I then asked: what was the impact on you, personally?
They said:
“Frustrating - no clear objectives.”
“Wasted my time.”
“I was ‘talked at’ the entire time.”
Cast your mind back to the last time you were in a meeting you felt wasn’t effective. What was the impact on you, personally?
If you feel you spend half of your week in meetings, you’re probably right.
Between 2020 - 2022, meetings increased by between 100 - 600%. There was a 10% increase in 1:1’s and a 18% increase in the amount of meetings booked with less than five minutes notice. Recent data also shows that office workers typically spend two working days a week on meetings and emails.
So if you’re finding yourself thinking ‘there’s just not enough time’... well, probably there isn’t.
What’s with that?
Where the workplace culture is one where being seen as being productive is rewarded more than being productive, you get meeting-mania.
For example, in a recent survey, it was discovered that 50% of managers felt pressure to let peers know they were ‘being productive’ and 63% made an effort to keep their status ‘active’, even if they weren't working at the current moment.
Why do we get so mad about ineffective meetings?
The reason ineffective meetings irk us is because meetings cost us time, money and energy.
Time, money and energy are assets we don’t like to expend without a valuable return. And ineffective meetings expend all three. When we believe we’re not getting value for our investment, we don’t like it.
It’s not that you, or I, or your colleagues, want to have more meetings.
What we all want to have is clarity on our priorities, confidence we know what we’re doing, and validation we’re on the right track. And it just so happens that meetings do that, and more.
For example, meetings give us:
Certainty e.g. checking in on priorities and getting clarity we’re on the right track.
Validation e.g. getting a respected peer’s perspective.
Visibility e.g. building relationships and credibility by working in public.
Approvals e.g. to work autonomously or at pace.
Supervision e.g. someone with influence or authority can give us the ok to carry on.
Safety e.g. asking in a group vs scheduling a 1:1 with the boss.
Structure e.g. creating a sense of urgency and a deadline.
So if you notice you book and/or attend meetings by default, you’re probably getting what you need on some level. There’s nothing instinctively wrong about that. It’s just that there are other ways to get the same, if not better, result, that will give you more time, energy and hopefully over time, more money.
The pathway is to thoughtfully look at how we manage our time by using the concept of ‘constraints’.
Instead of meeting by default, try the 80/20 rule.
One reason meeting culture is so prevalent is because most people who call them believe the bulk of the work will be done in the meeting. Yet, it’s actually the inverse: the bulk of the work actually gets done before and after the meeting.
We often refer to this as the 80/20 rule. It’s the idea that 20% of the effort creates 80% of the work.
Applying this concept to meetings, if we agree that a meeting is 20% of the work, we can map out what the other 80% looks like. We can then ask, ‘Is this the most valuable use of everyone’s time?’
When we look at it this way, we definitely think twice before calling and attending meetings. Equally, it gives us a way out of meetings where we aren’t able to add value, as it’s clear that we don’t have capacity to meaningfully contribute.
Here’s what it looks like:
Before the meeting - 40%. You’re creating the conditions for a meeting to be effective. This includes: I know the purpose, what the role of every attendee is (a great way to cap numbers!), any pre-work required, the outcome, and what is important vs nice to have.
The actual meeting - 20%.
After the meeting - 40%. You’re actioning everything that meant the meeting was a valuable use of everyone’s time. This includes making sure whatever you agreed upon actually happens. For example, circulating notes, key actions and putting into your calendar the thing you committed to verbally.
Another way of looking at it is this: one meeting = 80% more work.
The 5 reasons to meet.
When I teach our Effective & Engaging Meetings workshop, I get people to do a ‘meeting audit’. I ask people to write down every single meeting they have, including recurring and ad-hoc ones. Then, I ask them to put each one into the following categories.
This meeting is to:
Inform e.g. a WIP, reporting or RAG status.
Decide e.g. a strategy or sales pitch.
Debate e.g. workshop a strategy, problem solve, give feedback, hash something out.
Collaborate e.g. generate ideas and workshop.
Connect e.g. to build a relationship.
Any meeting that doesn’t fit one of those categories goes into a ‘purpose not yet clear’ section.
If you were to do this exercise, what categories would your meetings fall in? Do any fall into ‘purpose not yet clear’?
We use the M.E.E.T Method for effective meetings.
Designed around the idea of reverse engineering, it helps you create the result you’re after, regardless of the topic.
Because it’s in a checklist form, it forces people to channel their habit for meetings into a constraint. Constraints are useful for translating well-meaning enthusiasm into practical outcomes.
Let’s step through it.
The M.E.E.T Model
M.E.E.T stands for Meeting Outcomes, Essential Participants, Ease and Value, and Tangible Actions. Both the planner and the attendee check each part of the list.
M: Meeting Outcomes
The meeting organiser is clear on:
The outcome they want to leave the meeting with.
Which of the 5 reasons to meet it is (inform, decide, debate, collaborate, connect).
A compelling reason why a meeting is more effective than an email or one pager.
The meeting participant knows:
The intent of the meeting.
Why they have been invited and the expectation of their role in attending.
What will happen as a result of the meeting.
E: Essential Participants
The meeting organiser is clear on:
Who is essential to attend vs nice to be included.
Why their participation adds value.
The meeting participant knows:
Why they have been invited.
What the expectation is (e.g. am I presenting? Contributing?).
What they need to say no to, to say yes to this meeting.
Why this meeting is in alignment with, or more important than, their existing priorities.
E: Ease & Value
The meeting organiser is clear on:
What needs to happen before this meeting for it to be the best use of everyone’s time.
What needs to happen after, so that this meeting has been time well spent.
The meeting participant knows:
How they can add value in the meeting.
What they need to consider / reflect / read to contribute thoughtfully.
Whether they’re expected to present an update.
T: Tangible Actions
The meeting organiser is clear on:
If this goes well, then what?
Who will do / lead / recap following?
What is the promise or agreement made at the end of the meeting and how could I make that explicit in the meeting?
The meeting participant knows:
What my commitment is, as a result of this meeting. e.g. based on what I now know, what does that mean for what I do or don’t do next?
When we put our decisions through this M.E.E.T Method, figuring out whether we should meet, and who we should invite if we are meeting, becomes clear. If and when any of the list isn’t clear, it’s a useful cue to both the meeting organiser and potential participant to clarify.
Powerful alternatives to meeting.
Creating ways to distribute information, in a way that’s unique to your company culture, is one way to help people work on their critical thinking and become even more effective communicators.
Let’s look at some alternatives to meetings.
A short summary is distributed to the leadership team. In the email it says, ‘please share your feedback on the attached, by COB Friday’.
A written business case for the boss to consider. In the email, it says ‘here is an overview of my thinking for your upcoming presentation’.
A 1200 word summary (the length of this email) is linked in an email, housed on the Intranet. An email is sent saying ‘many of you have asked about our meeting protocol post pandemic. Please find it linked here. Below are optional workshops you can attend to learn how to apply this within your role. Click the link to RSVP.’
A 20 minute video is recorded explaining how to use a new technology. An email is sent saying ‘please find the recording of the new technology we’re now using’.
A PDF is shared post a collaboration workshop outlining what was discussed, what was agreed on and what is not yet clear (e.g. parking lot).
A voice recording is sent to a colleague to update them between meetings so you can keep going, as can they, knowing you have their back.
The invitation.
Why not invite your team to do a meeting audit. It’s a short and fun exercise that gets alot of laughs when shared, as well as plenty of ‘aha’ moments.
It’s valuable, as what you’re really doing is contributing to a psychologically safe environment by getting diversity of input, getting feedback from your employees without directly asking for it, and as a bonus, clarity on where your team is spending their time.
If you notice you have meetings where the purpose isn’t clear, or you want the meetings you do have to be more effective and engaging, the next step is to bring our Effective & Engaging Meetings workshop to your workplace.