What is the ideal length for a meeting?

Meetings that run for over an hour without having addressed the core goals of the meeting can find themselves in danger of becoming unproductive due to tired and even busy minds. There is plenty of research out there showing that people's ability to fully engage and concentrate in a meeting starts to diminish after about 45 minutes to an hour. Overdrawn meetings can lead to mental fatigue, which can negatively impact participants' ability to make clear decisions and contribute meaningfully to the discussion. It can also get some people questioning why they are still in the meeting.

The ideal meeting length varies depending on the agenda, but aiming for 30 to 60 minutes generally keeps discussions focused and productive. Shorter meetings encourage efficiency, while longer ones should have clear objectives and breaks to maintain engagement and effectiveness.

In my experience, the length of the meeting should be adjusted with the number of participants and agenda of the meeting. Ideally a meeting of length 30min to 1hr is more productive, as the participants doesn’t get bored and there is enough time to discuss as well. I don’t recommend any individual reviews in the meetings as this will consume everyone else’s time. Meetings should have more of common interest topics to discuss and should be interactive. You can’t call it a meeting when one person just reads out or speaks and others listen. There should be a schedule or list of topics to be discussed and the participants needs to be hinted about them well in advance so that everyone can come prepared.

An agenda is key prior to the meeting and any groundwork that can be done/prepared by both parties can help home in the time spent on a call. I'm a natural born waffler so having structure helps me personally. It's been studied and 45 minutes is the average person to stay attentive, so this is my recommendation for length of meeting. If introductory then extra 15 minutes for getting to know the person you're meeting with.

Meeting length is critical because it impacts engagement, productivity and effectiveness. Too long and attendees may lose focus or interest. Too short and key topics might not be adequately addressed or addressed fully. It allows for everyone to be heard, especially subject matter experts; this ensures inclusive and effective communication. The right duration ensures discussions are thorough yet concise and ensure value of everyone's time.

Why are you meeting? What's the objective? Have that on the agenda and make sure people know that only items on the agenda will be discussed, but they have the option to suggest further agenda items before the meeting.

Organiser une réunion sans un ordre du jour clair et sans le temps prévu pour chaque sujet et chaque intervenant est un manque de respect envers les autres, puisque le temps est précieux et si on se rencontre uniquement pour le bavardage sans sujet bien défini, cela peut demotiver certaines personnes et peut également devenir une source de frustration au travail. Aussi il est toujours utile de demander les participants s'ils ont un sujet à aborder en lien avec le sujet général de la réunion. Il faut également veuiller à ce que les sujets concernent toutes les personnes qui participent, si ce n'est pas le cas, aborder les themes d'ordre général au début de la réunion et ensuite liberer ceux qui ne sont pas concernés par la suite.

influences the ideal length for a meeting is the purpose and agenda of the meeting. Before you schedule a meeting, you should have a clear and specific goal for what you want to achieve, and a realistic and relevant agenda for how you will achieve it. A purpose and agenda will help you define the scope and direction of the meeting, and avoid unnecessary or irrelevant topics that could prolong the meeting. A purpose and agenda will also help you communicate the expectations and objectives of the meeting to the attendees, and prepare them for their roles and responsibilities.

Contacter les participants que vous ne connaissez pas bien et si vous n'êtes pas s?rs de leur implication dans le sujet avant la réunion, pour vous assurer que vous ne vous trompez pas en les invitant.

That depends on many variables - number of people, geography, likely duration and more. Achieving the objecting of the meeting is key - consider which format & mode will best enable that to happen.

The geographical location of participants can significantly impact the ideal meeting length, especially in a global context where time zones affect availability. Additionally, the number of attendees influences the duration; larger groups often require more time for everyone to contribute meaningfully. The time of the meeting also matters; for instance, meetings scheduled late in the day may need to be concise to maintain engagement.

Does this meeting actually need to take place? Yes I agree getting people in the same space to go through things is a good idea, but who should be in the room. I have been to so many meetings in my life where I just did not need to be there, and I know many others share the same. So think why you need the meeting, who really needs to attend, set a clear agenda and keep to it, do not wander off or let someone try and take the meeting over