Meetings. They’re a necessary evil, right? Or are they?
According to a recent study by the Harvard Business Review, the average employee spends 23 hours per week in meetings. That’s nearly three full days of work! And it’s not just the time that’s the problem. Meetings are often unproductive and inefficient. They can be a breeding ground for distractions, side conversations, and endless debate.
So what’s the solution? Do we give up on meetings altogether?
Not necessarily. Meetings can be a valuable tool for collaboration, decision-making, and problem-solving, but they need to be used effectively.
Here are a few tips for making meetings more productive:
- Only schedule meetings when they’re necessary. Do it if you can communicate the same information in an email or document.
- Start and end on time. This shows respect for everyone’s time.
- Have a clear agenda and stick to it. This will help keep the meeting on track.
- Encourage participation from everyone. Don’t let one or two people dominate the discussion.
- Be respectful of everyone’s time. Don’t let the meeting drag on.
- Follow up after the meeting to ensure everyone is on the same page.
If we follow these tips, we can make meetings more productive and less of a nuisance. But even if we do everything right, there will still be times when meetings are a waste of time.
As the management guru Seth Godin said, “Meetings are the enemy of productivity.” He’s right. Meetings can be a significant drain on our time and energy. But if we’re smart about how we use them, they can also be a valuable tool for getting things done.
Meetings can be a pain, but they don’t have to be. Make some small but significant changes for more productive meetings.
