Overcome bad meetings: Try this amazingly simple 3-step process we know but don't do often enough.

If you're an executive, you may be spending 50% or more of your time in meetings each week (source: Bain 2019). That's about 2.5 days a week spent in meetings. I spoke with a client recently and mentioned this to her. She said, 'no way, I spend about 80% of my time each week in meetings.' 

If this experience resonates with you, it may also resonate with you that some of those meetings are not productive and go poorly. This article will help you press reset on meetings to make them more effective, and in the process, learn which meetings you need to attend or have.

I am going to start by saying this. I am not encouraging you to reduce your number of meetings (yet). Though that may sound beneficial to everyone, and it probably is helpful. It might not be the right first move to figure out how to make meetings better for everyone involved. 

Instead, let's start by fixing what we can control about meetings to make them more productive and generate profound connections among attendees. 

Let me tell you about my meeting experience. As a former CMO and GM, and now as an Executive and Leadership Mindset Coach, it remains crucial to ensure people feel included in key decisions. In the past, one aspect of my building inclusivity meant inviting everyone to a meeting, even if they didn't have a role or the ability to create impact with decisions made in the discussion. After all, these meeting attendees would hear the information, which was enough to feel included, right? No, not so right.

It turns out those people left my meetings unclear about what to do next. They may have even felt disconnected from their leaders and peers. Maybe they felt like they had to spend more time at work later in the day because of another useless meeting (or a colossal waste of time, as I used to describe some meetings I attended). Sound familiar?

When I coach folks around making their limited time even more productive and fun, we often start with the calendar. It's still the best time management tool. It's still the best activity tracking tool too. Many other apps are fun to play with, but I find the calendar is the one I come back to, and I can modify it to make it work for me. So, let's start with the calendar.

Step 1: Clarify why you're having the meeting.

It's essential to be clear about the meeting's why because when bad meetings do happen, there's a culprit we can usually point to, and it's a lack of context for the meeting attendees.

Visualize this: You are now planning a meeting. Your calendar is in front of you.

You are thinking about whom to invite. Right? No! Instead, think about why you need to have this meeting. I mean, think about it. If you don't have a compelling reason to have the meeting, please don't have it. Save yourself. 

If you have a compelling reason to have the meeting, then think about each attendee you want to invite and why they want you to have the discussion. If you can't find compelling reasons for the attendees to want your meeting to occur, please don't invite those attendees. Save them too. 

This first step helps you solidify the compelling business reason the meeting must occur and who would benefit most from the meeting. 

You have decided to have the meeting, and you know whom to invite. What's next? 

Step 2: Describe the meeting and its main goal using your words.

Here's where the calendar can make the invite function and notes work better for you. Put the description into the invite. For example, "Client Proposal Division of Responsibilities: We have decided to provide our client a proposal for the project. During our meeting, we will discuss how to answer the client's questions. Each of you will play an important role in this proposal as your teams will help to complete the project." 

This second step describes the goal and the reason for the participants' attendance. 

Step 3: Describe your desired meeting outcome. 

Right below the description, you'll want to ensure people understand the meeting's desired outcome before they get to the meeting. For example: "We will deliver the proposal to the client on June 15. During this meeting, we will discuss the client's request. Our goal is to walk away with clarity on our responsibility and a clear action plan to make the June 15 deadline. The questions the client asked are attached to this email. Please come prepared to share your key thoughts." 

This step clarifies the attendees' role concerning the meeting goal to keep things moving forward. 

Did that feel simple? If it did, it's because it can be. You can do it. Meetings with context often produce these results: 

1. Attendees know what to focus on before and during the meeting.
2. Enhanced clarity helps to produce accountability and your desired outcomes.
3. Improved relationships and connections occur more frequently.

Bonus!

While you begin modeling better meeting invites and start seeing the results outlined above, you will probably notice that your meeting attendees will start to use your meeting format when they invite people to their meetings. And, if they don't yet use the same form when they invite you, ask them the same questions you ask yourself to improve meetings. 

I hope this helps. Let me know what you think once you try this simple process. I'd love to hear how it works and any other ideas that have also worked for you.

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About John Volturo

John Volturo is an Executive Coach (PCC), President of the International Coaching Federation, Los Angeles, facilitator, speaker, podcaster, and former public company and startup Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager. He works with executives, managers, teams, and entrepreneurs to help them uncover blind spots, strengthen skills, increase team engagement, build solid relationships to achieve their goals, all while leveraging their strengths.