How to Attend Fewer Meetings

How many meetings do you attend in a day or a week?

When I first started working in the corporate world I almost never went to a meeting. I was a 'worker bee' and the general culture was that management had meetings to make decisions to direct the rest of us. We just did what we were told, or we found someplace else to work.

I think that culture has changed somewhat in that front line employees often have options to express their opinions. Where do they get to share these opinions?

Meetings

But not every meeting is created equal. I am sure we have all been invited to attend a meeting and after about 10 minutes we had no idea why we were there. We didn't have anything constructive to add to the topic or no decision was being made. The higher up the food chain you go, the more pervasive this problem becomes.

When I was an Executive Assistant for a CEO he was constantly being invited to meetings and not because he needed to be there. It was usually one of 3 reasons:

• The group wanted to bring him up to speed on the project
• The group wanted his opinion on the direction of the project
• They wanted to feel important by inviting the CEO of the company

As a result he implemented a simple requirement that almost eliminated these types of invitations - an agenda must be attached to the meeting invitation.

As his assistant I was directed to decline any meeting that did not come with a detailed agenda, no matter who sent it. The first couple of times there was some pushback - but after a couple of weeks people started attaching agendas and we were able to better manage which meetings he attended.

This is a great idea, but I think it can be taken one step further. The meeting invitation needs to include why that executive or manager is being invited. What will they be expected to contribute? If the organizer for the meeting can't come up with a valid reason, then the executive shouldn't be invited in the first place.

This logic isn't just for executives and managers either. It shouldn't matter what level an employee is at - their time is valuable, especially today when we are all working harder with fewer employees.

Granted some meetings, such as department meetings or staff meetings, should be mandatory. It is a good place to share information with the group, get feedback and generally build the team. But these meetings need agenda's too. Keep them focused and they may not take the entire scheduled time. (Okay- yes they will - meetings have a habit of filling the scheduled time.)

But what if it isn't a staff meeting? How can you reduce the number of meetings you attend? Ask these questions:

Why am I being invited?

It doesn't matter if you are a CEO or a sales clerk, you have a job to do and a meeting is going to impact your day. Ask why you are attending.

Do you need to share some expertise? Do you need to make a decision? Do you need to share your opinion on a change that will directly impact your job? Are they sharing information that will impact your job? These are all valid reasons to attend a meeting.

What is the purpose of the meeting?

How many times have you been to a meeting that could have been an email?

This goes back to needing to see an agenda before the meeting. If none is provided, ask for one. A simple statement such as, "I want to make sure I am prepared for this meeting, can you tell me why we are getting together?" will often be enough to at least get an idea of why the meeting is being held.

Does this meeting really need to take xx?

The fact is that most meetings are going to last exactly as long as they are scheduled. Even if there is an agenda and all topics are covered quickly, often someone will speak up with a new topic, "Since we are all here anyway."

If the meeting is scheduled for 30 minutes ask if they think they can cover the topic in 15 or 20 minutes. Ask if a meeting is really needed or if an email wouldn't be enough to share the information.

Is there a better way to share the information?

As an online entrepreneur I have hosted my share of live seminars and classes. I always get the same question - are you recording this meeting?

If the sole purpose of a meeting is to share information, then perhaps that meeting should be recorded and shared electronically so that attendees can review it as they are able.

Meetings will never completely go away and there are valid reasons for having them, but days that are back to back meetings mean those attendees then have to do the 'work' they put off in the evenings and on weekends. This just adds stress and makes people want to attend fewer meetings.

So if you are the person who wants to schedule a meeting, how can you make sure the people you want to attend will be there?

1. Give them a valid reason - identify what you need from them in your agenda or your meeting invitation and be specific. i.e. we will be reviewing the top 2 vendors for shipping and need your approval for our decision
2. Provide context and information before the meeting - provide information for them to review prior to the meeting so they can come with their questions ready and don't need to spend time on a summary
3. Keep the meeting time short - don't schedule an hour meeting 'so you have time for questions' - schedule it for 45 minutes but schedule the room for an hour.
4. Consistently hold effective meetings - the truth is that when we know the person who is hosting the meeting often does a poor job, people are less likely to want to attend. A reputation as someone who holds meetings that stay on topic, on time and get results will increase future attendance.

Meetings are a fact of corporate life. From the smallest company to the largest we all need to get together from time to time and share information. Creating a culture that rewards effective meetings is one way to help reduce the negative impact.