Make Meetings Matter
I recently facilitated an executive team workshop where the issue of unproductive meetings resurfaced. One executive expressed his frustration at how many people were invited to meetings that consumed time and energy, slowed progress and rarely resulted in clear decisions.
The team recognised that FOMO and FOLO (fear of leaving out) had become a substitute for thoughtful meeting design.
This is not uncommon. Teams that flounder report that more than 40% of their meetings waste time and energy. Too much time is spent informing people, too little exploring what matters, and not enough deciding what happens next.
Meetings matter when they enable debate, build clarity, strengthen relationships and coordinate action. They fail when attendance becomes habitual rather than intentional.
Before calling a meeting, get clear on its purpose. Then determine who needs to be:
Informed
Who needs to know what was discussed or decided?
Do not invite people to a meeting simply to keep them informed. Information can usually be shared more effectively through a short email, update or briefing. Meetings should not be consumed by content people could have read beforehand.
Included
Whose insights, experience and perspectives will improve the quality of the conversation or decision?
These people are invited because their thinking matters. Their role is to contribute, challenge assumptions and help the group see what it may otherwise miss.
Involved
Whose commitment and accountability are essential to turning the decision into action?
These are the people who will own the outcome, coordinate the work and create the conditions for others to deliver.
Being informed, included and involved are not the same. Confusing them fills rooms, dilutes accountability and wastes time.
INVITATION
Before you send others a meeting invitation, make three things clear:
Why the meeting matters
Why each person has been invited
What preparation is required.
The greatest sign of respect is to respect other people’s time.
Limit attendance to those who are accountable and structure the agenda around outcomes to be achieved rather than topics. End only when everyone knows what will be done, by whom and by when.
Before accepting your next invitation, ask:
Why this meeting?
Why me?
What contribution am I expected to make?
If you can’t answer these questions, you don’t need another meeting to attend. You need greater clarity.