Most Meetings are a Waste of Time

Here’s how to improve them

I’ve written before about a toxic boss. Every day around 3:00 p.m. we had a staff meeting, and my boss would lock the conference room door at the start of the meeting. If you were late, you had two choices. Skip the meeting, or knock on the door to have someone let you in.

This was humiliating and infuriating. Of course, you don’t want someone interrupting the meeting, but it’s a little over the top don’t you think?

You have work to do, customer requests to take care and the customer comes first. Not in this case, the meeting comes first.

When quarantine first began, remote meetings were scheduled left and right. Everyone was scrambling to pivot and reorganize. I sat through several mandatory team meetings at this time. The good thing about them, I could listen and still do my work.

This online meeting thing might not be too bad huh? Until you have a gazillion of them.

Just send it to me in an email.

It works for Mark Cuban according to an article by Ruth Umoh, Why Jeff Bezos, Mark Cuban, and Elon Musk all avoid meetings

Mark Cuban says “No meetings. No phone calls. All because of email. I set my schedule.” How many times have you been on a call and someone says they’ll send it to you in an email? For me, that’s pretty common. Maybe you should send it in an email prior to a call or a meeting and reduce the meeting time? Come prepared with your answers, so the rest of the team’s valuable time is considered.

Jeff Bezos “…refuses to set up or attend a meeting if two pizzas won’t feed the entire group.” I don’t think he’s talking about a group of teenage boys. (I’ve watched my son eat an entire large pizza before.)

I’ve sat in large meetings and never said a word. You know the ones, where you watch someone nodding off across the table from you. Hopefully, the person sitting next to them pokes them before they fall over. But in a smaller setting, you have a better opportunity to participate.

Elon Musk suggests “Walk out of a meeting or drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren’t adding value,” and says “It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time.”

You know you’ve wanted to leave before, admit it, I know I have. I’ve been on calls before and after the first ‘beep’ I’m the second one to leave.

In an article by Terri Williams How to stop wasting your time and everyone else’s in meetings lists these five types of meetings according to Michael Fritsch, GM of Consulting for Confoe:

1. Problem-solving meeting

· Solve a specific problem

· Limit attendance to only those who can solve it

2. Decision- making meeting:

· Present options

· Review facts and move forward

3. Planning Meeting

· Plan a course of action

· Limit to those who will execute the plan

4. Status reporting/information sharing

· Easiest type to eliminate

· Objective better presented in a report, dashboard or email newsletter

5. Feedback meeting:

· React to events or situations

· Could be better suited in a survey or via email.

Based on my own experience:

Start the meeting on time (flashback to the locked conference room again)

Have you ever arrived for a meeting and decide they canceled and forgot to tell you? But when you start to leave, everyone starts showing up. Is the culture to arrive late in your organization, or does everyone show up 5 minutes early for the coffee and doughnuts?

Have a specific agenda

Email the agenda and set the expectations. If the meeting organizer isn’t the one to take the lead, clearly state who is responsible to keep everyone on topic.

Be considerate of everyone’s time. Try to address issues with production supervisors so they can get back to do what they do best. Or you could designate one person to represent the group to report back.

Clearly assign tasks to individuals

Have a note-taker to avoid confusion later and distribute meeting notes. Come prepared to discuss your task. Advise the meeting organizer if you’re unable to attend and send your information ahead of time.

Virtual Meetings are here to stay

There are both advantages and disadvantages

Advantages include reduced or no travel time as well as travel costs. The comfort of working at your own desk during the meeting. If you have your camera off, no one will see you roll your eyes when you disagree. You also won’t get locked out of the conference room either.

Disadvantages include limited body language and reactions compared to in-person meetings. If you’re at your own desk, make sure others see you’re on a virtual call so you’re not interrupted by chit chat.

The Takeaway

Meetings are not going away as we’ve adapted to virtual meetings in place of in-person meetings. We can manage these meetings by clearly defining the purpose of the meeting and designate a moderator to keep everyone on track.

We can improve meetings from a waste of time, by being respectful to others. Remember, not everyone likes being on camera. If you can turn them off to have better connectivity and make sure all the introverts are comfortable, then do so.

Sure, most meetings are a waste of time, but you can make them better. You can come prepared and have answers or show up without having done anything. Show up with answers and reduce the time at the next meeting. If you’re having trouble, email the organizer ahead of time for guidance.

Be the solution or blame the meeting all you want. Either way, it’s your choice.