Are you stuck in mind-numbing meetings?

Have you ever sat through a mind-numbing 3-hour meeting, wondering how it’s possible that you’re the only one who sees how pointless it is? It’s normal to assume you’re the most frustrated person in the room, but psychology suggests this is often an illusion.

Pluralistic ignorance refers to a phenomenon where, even though we’re all experiencing the same thing, we assume other people don’t feel the same way about it as we do. This bias leads us to continue scheduling and attending meetings, even when everyone secretly agrees they’re useless, because we assume we’re the only ones who think so. (HBR)

How much of your time is wasted in meetings?

Most leaders spend 40–50% of their working hours in meetings. And most agree that at least 50% of that time is wasted.

Stop and think: Look at your Outlook calendar for this week. Do you need every meeting? What’s the cost versus the benefit of having that meeting? What value will it bring?

Most meetings could be avoided. Many could be an email. But that doesn’t mean we should eliminate all meetings.

The cultural impact of meetings

Change your meetings, and you could change your culture. Antony Jay wrote in How to Run a Meeting that our attachment to our workplaces is largely based on social interactions. If there are no meetings, our devotion to the organisation decreases dramatically.

After all, we are social animals. We have evolved to connect. “Meetings fulfill a deep human need. Man is a social species. In every organisation and every human culture of which we have record, people come together in small groups at regular intervals, and in larger ‘tribal’ gatherings from time to time.”

Rethinking the role of meetings

We often think of meetings as a waste of time. Most people say they only get work done once their meetings are over. Some even steal moments during virtual meetings to ‘get the work done’ elsewhere.

Unproductive, poorly organised meetings are frustrating and demotivating. However, productive meetings are the foundation of great team climates and cultures. Meetings should help us move forward and do good work—not just block our calendars and sap our will to live.

How to make meetings more productive

• Reduce the number of meetings you have – consider whether it could be an email or involve fewer people.
• Don’t block one-hour meetings. Make them shorter—set up meetings to run for 25 or 50 minutes in Outlook.
• Put fire breaks between meetings to allow for breathing room.
• Send relevant information in advance so people can prepare.
• Have an agenda – ‘obs yeah,’ but how many meetings did you attend yesterday that actually had one?
• Enhance your meetings overnight with the PPCCR tool

What are your top tips for improving meetings?