Stop Wasting Everyone's Time in Meetings

Ever left a meeting and thought, “That was a waste of time”? You’re not alone. Over 70% of

employees rate meetings as a waste of time; only 11% find them productive. That’s a failure of leadership.

The way you handle meetings speaks volumes about you as a leader. It shows whether you're clear about priorities, respectful of people's time, and skilled at bringing out the best in your team.

I’ve been a CEO, a board chair, and a professional meeting moderator. Poor meetings drive me crazy. I was on a large board where meetings were primarily “show and tell.” Each department head reported facts and news. A small amount of time was allotted for questions, which often felt forced. Attendance was spotty – understandably, since the talented and busy board members had little opportunity to contribute meaningfully.

In contrast, when I became board chair of a large nonprofit I eliminated all committee and

department reports and required one-page written summaries to be sent in advance. The

agenda focused entirely on the organization’s top 2-3 challenges. Meeting attendance and

productivity soared because board members were active participants and meaningful

contributors.

The purpose of most meetings is to harness the collective knowledge and talent of the

attendees. Then why not design meetings from the standpoint of the participants?

Here’s my approach.

Start With Why

The first question should be: Why are we holding this meeting at all? If you can’t answer that,

cancel the meeting. If you can, write the answer at the top of the agenda as your objective so everyone knows why they’ve been invited.

Write the objective as a goal that will define the meeting’s success – and make it one that

matters. “To discuss the Acme acquisition” doesn’t pass the second test; is discussion itself the goal? “To decide whether to acquire Acme” or even “To determine whether Acme meets our financial criteria” are much better. That way attendees know where they’re aiming and will do what they can to get there. It’s OK to have more than one objective if needed and feasible.

Create a Time-Based Agenda

Next, create the agenda, including assignments and time allocations for each item. This isn't just good discipline - it signals your professionalism and creates accountability. It also forces

you to design backwards from outcomes (the meeting’s objective) rather than forwards from

habit. The agenda items and timeframes should reflect top priorities and allow important

perspectives to be aired. Participants will limit their comments based on how much time remains for each item.

Replace Reports with Discussions

The single most effective way to transform meetings is shifting from reporting to discussion.

Share information in writing beforehand and use meeting time for debating, questioning,

deciding, collective problem-solving, and building alignment on difficult issues. I’ve found that participants read those materials, especially if they’re told that the information won’t be re-presented during the meeting – you’ll be jumping right into discussion. This approach requires preparation time, which is why most leaders don’t do it. Instead they use up everyone’s time by presenting information that could have been communicated much more efficiently in writing. That leaves far less time for the activities best done when people gather – which are the point of holding a meeting.

Maximize Participation

Make sure those who show up aren’t passive attendees but active participants. Design

meetings for engagement that drives toward the meeting objective. Include in advanced

materials key questions you expect participants to address. They will have time to think about them in advance and will be more effective on site. Set up debates on critical issues;

participants learn most when two sides of an issue are actively and intelligently debated. Ask

specific people to respond to challenges or important developments. Use breakout sessions for larger groups so everyone gets a chance to be heard. In virtual settings, leverage polls, chat functions, and shared documents so attendees can engage even when they’re not talking. Why did you invite each person if you didn’t want their active participation? (If your answer is to report information, cancel the meeting and send a memo.) Engagement not only makes your meetings more productive, it also builds ownership, fosters teamwork, and develops communication and leadership skills on your team.

Facilitate Assertively

Good meeting design is crucial but is insufficient without strong facilitation. Start and end on

time and stick to the agenda’s topics and time slots. This will quickly train everyone to arrive on time, stay on point, and be concise in their comments. If someone arrives to a meeting a minute late and it’s already started, they’re more likely to be early next time. If they arrive on time and you wait for latecomers, you’re teaching everyone that punctuality doesn’t matter.

Actively manage the meeting to ensure that objectives are met. Call on people who haven't spoken, especially junior staff and those with perspectives relevant to the discussion topic. Limit those who dominate with gentle but firm signals. You may even state explicitly that you want to hear from those who haven’t spoken and will truncate comments from those who have. To avoid groupthink, make the environment safe for diverse opinions; this may mean explicitly asking for dissenting views and publicly thanking those who supply them. Encourage constructive disagreement by setting clear ground rules and modeling the behavior you want. Remind participants that they’re all working together to achieve the meeting’s goal.

The most productive meetings include vigorous debate about ideas while maintaining respect for people. This takes skill and practice – but you’ll be a much better leader if you’re adept at it.

You Can Do This

Transforming your meetings doesn't require natural talent - it just takes discipline and practice. Try starting small, with your next meeting. Make sure there’s a reason to meet and write it down as your objective. Create a detailed, time-bound agenda. Ask for at least some material to be sent in advance and eliminate the related reports during the meeting. Start and end on time. Ask three people who usually stay quiet to contribute. Your team will notice the difference immediately, and you’ll be a better leader for it.