“Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.”
John Kenneth Galbraith

THE IDEA: The game has changed, and most companies are still trying to play by the old rules, and it’s demoralizing everyone. Each month I facilitate intimate group conversations with several senior sales and marketing leaders within the CPG industry. I estimate that 9-in-10 people are feeling buried with too many unproductive, poorly managed, and time-consuming meetings. It’s an epidemic and here is just a sampling of the comments recently shared with me.

  • “I’m overwhelmed and feel wore out with reoccurring meetings that never resolve the problems at hand.”
  • “I’m at the end of my rope, and for the very first time, I feel like can’t make a difference.”
  • “I have no time to think, and I’m continuously managing fire drills and answering the same questions.” 

The consensus is that most meetings are falling flat and could be better handled with a quick email, a phone call, or a dramatically shortened agenda. The frustration is that there’s just not enough time in the day to attend all these discussions and still get “real” work done. An abundance of new meetings is leading to burnout and a demoralized, transactional workforce.

We have lost the script on the role and art of facilitating engaging meetings. Meetings must invigorate your work in a concise and imaginative way instead of detracting valuable time (and energy) throughout the day. Let me remind you of three preparation questions that are guaranteed to improve meeting outcomes, encourage connectivity, and save time.

ARE YOUR MEETINGS TOO BIG?  
There is a direct relationship between longer meetings and lower levels of engagement, group candor, and creativity. The more people you invite to a meeting, the more distracted and the less productive we become.  Some quick lessons learned:

  • If you hope to solve a problem, invite no more than 3 to 5 people to the meeting.
  • If you are looking for creative ideas, invite no more than 7 people to join the discussion.  Also, you can minimize groupthink by having attendees send you their ideas prior to the gathering.
IS YOUR AGENDA TOO BROAD?
Parkinson’s law claims that work expands to fill the amount of time allotted to it.  In other words, if you fail to place time limitations on a meeting topic, the discussion will go on much longer than expected and necessary. The best meetings are centered on one core objective supported by no more than three questions that need to be explored. The facilitator sets time boundaries and ground rules, defining a clear expected outcome. Things to keep in mind:
  • Address the elephant in the room. What’s the big idea or problem that must be fixed?
  • Temper the loudest voices.  Intentionally invite the quieter participants to share their reflections.
A disciplined agenda does not preclude creativity, openness, and honesty. In fact, it encourages it. The tighter the agenda, the more focused the audience.

ARE YOUR MEETINGS TOO LONG?
Consider this, 7-in-10 people work on other things during meetings, and 9-in-10 succumb to drifting off and daydreaming. We are all vulnerable to distraction, boredom, and information overload. The shorter the meeting, the more effective the meeting. Former COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, is known for her succinct 10-minute meetings. If she schedules a 60-minute meeting and knocks off every item on the agenda in 10-minutes the meeting is over. Are you open to running shorter meetings?
Prior to your next meeting ponder these five questions.

  1. Is it essential to conduct a meeting, or would a comprehensive email suffice?
  2. What is the problem or opportunity we are trying to solve & why does it matter to participants?
  3. Who are the appropriate decision makers necessary to solve the problem or seize the opportunity?
  4. What preparation needs to be circulated to participants prior to the meeting?
  5. How can I best facilitate the meeting and safely encourage candor from participants?

Meetings still matter. The success of a get-together is contingent on team preparation, group participation and aligning expectations. Most people see meetings as moments to build relationships, gather critical water cooler insights, and collectively solve challenges. Are your meetings delivering on these needs?

It is time to reinvent, reinvigorate and reimage the role of meetings within teams.

“The majority of meetings should be discussions that lead to decisions.”
Patrick Lencioni