How to create valuable meetings that don't waste people's time

The number of meetings and the time we spend on them is inversely proportional to the effort we put into assessing the true value of the countless meetings.

In an article in Forbes, American professor Steven Rogelberg explains that his research shows that only half of the meetings people attend are considered valuable.

When you think about how much time we spend on meetings, it is thought-provoking that we don't more often look back and evaluate what we get out of our many meetings.

How often do we review the meetings and convert that into learning for the future?

I’ve participated in thousands of meetings and way too many of them have been a waste of my time, and more importantly my energy. From the manager-one-way-communication-department meetings to the nobody-knows-why-we-are-here-so-we-invited-everyone meetings, they all lack the same thing: Focus on value.

I have gathered a few concepts that have been very helpful for me to increase the probability for a valuable outcome.

The power of meeting face-to-face

How important is it for existing colleagues and potential business partners to spend time together in the same space? Research shows face-to-face requests are 34 times more effective than those sent by email (https://hbr.org/2017/04/a-face-to-face-request-is-34-times-more-successful-than-an-email), and that a physical handshake promotes cooperation and influences negotiation outcomes for the better.

If possible, gather attendees physically to gain the advantage of reading body language and having casual conversion when a break allows.

As a receiver of a meeting invitation, ask yourself “What can I contribute?”  If you are in doubt, reach out.

Is the meeting necessary?

Many meetings turn out, in retrospect, to be unnecessary. There are other ways to achieve the same goal. Something you can achieve by circulating a memo. You can have a conference call. You can speak to people individually. You can even postpone it to another meeting or another time altogether.

If the meeting is necessary, then ask yourself, “Who should contribute to this meeting?” before sending out the invitation. As a receiver of a meeting invitation, ask yourself “What can I contribute?”  If you are in doubt, reach out. If the scope of your contribution is not clear up front, then the purpose of the meeting is likely not clear either.

Write an agenda

If you have determined that the meeting is necessary, establish a clear purpose for the meeting, and write up an agenda. An excellent time management tool is for you to write a one-paragraph statement of purpose for the meeting. Start with this sentence: “We are having this meeting to achieve this specific goal.” Then, write out the objective of the meeting.  This is a tremendous discipline.

Make an agenda or a list of everything that has to be covered in the meeting. Next to each item, put the name of the person who is expected to address that issue. Distribute the agenda, if possible, at least twenty-four hours in advance so that each person knows what she will be expected to contribute. You want everyone to know what the objective of the meeting is and what will be discussed. This applies to one-on-one meetings with your boss, with your subordinates, with your customers, with your suppliers, and whoever else.

Clearly state if preparation is necessary

I’ve attended many meetings unprepared because I had neglected to give due attention to the agenda. I had become used to meetings not having an agenda and a clear goal. If you make required preparations clear, it will make it easier for attendees to estimate whether they have time to prepare and even if the preparation is relevant for the outcome.

Here is another rule: Don’t wait for the latecomer.

Start and stop on time

Set a schedule for the beginning of the meeting and set a time for the end of the meeting. If the meeting is going to run from eight until nine, start it at 8 o’clock sharp and end it at nine o’clock sharp. Meetings with a specified start time but an undetermined end time are often the worst and least productive.

Here is another rule: Don’t wait for the latecomer. Assume the latecomer is not coming at all and start at the designated time. It is unfair to punish the people who are on time by making them wait for the person who gets there late, if at all.

Many companies establish the policy of locking the meeting room from the inside at the exact time the meeting is scheduled to start. The people who show up late are not allowed in. You can be sure that they don’t show up late the next time. This may seem excessive and the simple action of interrupting an ongoing meeting is usually enough to discourage tardiness going forward.

Tip! Microsoft Outlook supports default meetings as 25, 55 and 80 minute length.

Parkinson’s law can also spill into meetings that could be finished in minutes but stretches into other topics if the time allows.

BEWARE of Parkinson's law

Parkinson's law is the observation that the duration of public administration, bureaucracy and officialdom expands to fill its allotted time span, regardless of the amount of work to be done. This was attributed mainly to two factors: that officials want subordinates, not rivals, and that officials make work for each other.

Parkinson’s law can also spill into meetings that could be finished in minutes but stretches into other topics if the time allows.

Cover important items first

When you draw up the agenda, apply the 80/20 rule. Organize the agenda so that the top 20% of items are the first items to be discussed. This way, if you run out of time, you will have covered the items that represent 80% of the value of the meeting before the time runs out.

‍💡Tip! If you find your relevance exhausted during a meeting, raise a flag to reaffirm that your continuing participation is necessary.

Summarize each conclusion

When you discuss each item on your meeting agenda, summarize the discussion and get closure. Get agreement and completion on each item before you go on to the next one. Restate what has been decided upon and agreed to with each item before you proceed.

💡Tip! Make sure to set aside time in the agenda to summarize and create action points.

Assign specific responsibility

If you have made a decision, assign responsibility for any actions agreed upon and set deadlines. Remember, discussion and agreement without an assignment of responsibility and a deadline for the completion, is merely a conversation. Be clear about who is going to do what and when.

Do a ROTI at the end

By doing a ROTI (Return On Time Invested), we can get a feel for how valuable the meeting was for different attendees. This is excellent input for a facilitator to inquire about what could have been different and what we should do in order to improve for the next meeting.

A simple show of fingers 1 to 5 is a quick and informal way to give feedback to the meeting versus the time we spent.

By setting the scene we have already increased the chance of valuable outcome tenfold

Keep notes and circulate minutes

A key to getting maximum effectiveness from meetings is to keep accurate notes and to circulate the minutes of the meeting within twenty-four hours, whenever possible. By keeping accurate minutes, one can later refer to the details of the meeting, which can prevent many misunderstandings. Agendas prepared in advance, followed by meeting minutes prepared shortly afterward, ensure that everyone is clear about his agreed-upon responsibilities and deadlines.

Now what?

By setting the scene we have already increased the chance of valuable outcome tenfold. Start setting the scene for your next meeting and don’t be part of the wasted-time statistic. Make your meetings valuable for all!

What’s next?

Next we can dive into the art of facilitation and how to navigate the complex communication between people which is the source of value going beyond the end of the meeting. That’s a whole other chapter (or blogpost) for another day.

In the meantime, you can check out these things that can give you superpowers as a meeting and workshop facilitator:

Graphic Facilitator Online | Learn to draw so everyone understands
Facilitator Online | Become a world-class facilitator
Facilitator Forum [In Danish] | Become part of a sharp professional community