BE.ME. in Mastering Meetings

The week is over – and how many meetings did you have if you check your calendar? Not so many? Way too many? Either way, meetings are essential for collaboration and decision-making, yet often the most dreaded part of the workday. Too many of them are inefficient though, drag on for far too long, and fail to deliver actionable results.

The good news: it doesn't have to be this way! By intentionally rethinking your approach to meetings, you can transform them into valuable and energizing experiences.

To start this year at least with a more satisfying approach to meetings, let's explore how to shift from time-wasting gatherings to purposeful, productive sessions.

The Hidden Costs of Ineffective Meetings

Surveys reveal that over 50% of workers feel their meetings are unnecessary, and 32% say the content could have been shared via email. Yet, meetings are increasing in frequency. Leaders now spend an average of 23 hours per week in meetings - and this number has grown with the rise of hybrid work.

But the problem goes deeper. A poorly run meeting doesn't just waste time, it even drains morale. Employees leave feeling frustrated, disengaged, or burn out on the long run. Researchers even named this meeting-related morale phenomenon "recovery syndrome," where workers feel emotionally drained after bad meetings.

The financial impact is also startling: consider a one-hour meeting with ten participants could cost something between several hundred to several thousand Euros. Now go back into your last week’s calendar and see how much money that was! Crazy! Multiply this across weeks and teams, and the price of inefficient meetings becomes overwhelming.

Top 10 Steps To Transform The Meeting Mess

To improve your meeting culture, you need more than just tweaks. It requires a shift in mindset, structure, and habits. Here are five practical steps to make your meetings efficient, purposeful, and impactful:

1. Start With Clear Objectives

   Every meeting should have a defined purpose. Are you solving a problem, brainstorming ideas, or making a decision? Communicate this objective to participants upfront, ideally through a circulated agenda. Starting with a clear "why" ensures everyone comes prepared and focused.

2. Align on the goal

   At the beginning of the meeting, take one minute to reiterate the goal. This simple habit reorients the team and sets the tone for a productive discussion.

3. Challenge the Default Length

   Why are most meetings 60 minutes? The answer lies in outdated calendar defaults, not necessity. Tasks tend to expand to fill the time available (a concept known as Parkinson's Law). Instead, try timeboxing: cap meetings at 15, 30, or 45 minutes depending on complexity. Shorter meetings force clarity and reduce tangents.

4. Clear naming conventions

   Not every alignment, checkin, update or get2gether should be called a “meeting” by default. For example for quick updates, consider stand-ups or huddles that last no more than 10-15 minutes and name them respectively when you invite others to join.

5. Be Intentional About Attendance

   The more people in a meeting, the harder it is to stay focused. Larger meetings often fall victim to "social loafing," where participants disengage because they feel their input isn't critical. Instead, limit attendees to those directly impacted by the discussion.

6. Experiment With Creative Formats

   Break free from monotonous formats and explore alternatives: Walking Meetings for example are ideal for small groups. Walking stimulates fresh thinking and boosts energy levels. Leaders like Steve Jobs and Barack Obama popularized walking meetings, showing that even high-pressure roles can benefit from more dynamic approaches. Alternatively, for updates or decisions that require broader visibility, consider asynchronous alternatives like email summaries or project dashboards.

7. Choose to Join

   Let employees decide if their presence adds value. Trust them to opt-in only when they can contribute meaningfully.

8. Close the Loop

   Meeting culture doesn't improve without input from the team. A few times throughout the year – or in your plant review sessions -  ask all participants: "What worked? What didn't?" Use feedback to refine formats, lengths, and processes. Regular evaluation fosters continuous improvement and keeps meetings aligned with team needs.

9. Use Technology

   Technology has revolutionized how we meet, but it's also created new challenges. Virtual meetings often feel more frequent and less engaging. Many participants multitask, tune out, or struggle to stay focused. Set up rules for your team or at the beginning of the meetin. Also use interactive tools like Miro or Mentimeter / other polls during meetings to keep virtual participants engaged and involved.

10. The Best for the Rest

    Define Meeting-Free Days in your team. Designate specific days or parts of the day, where no meetings are allowed to give employees uninterrupted focus time. So what if Tue and Thu noons become meeting-free zones?

The Future of Meetings: Flexibility and Innovation

As organizations evolve, so too must their meeting practices. Forward-thinking companies are already experimenting with innovative approaches:

• No-Meeting Policies: Some companies, like TheSoul Publishing, have adopted "no-meeting days" to reduce overload.

• Flexible Timing: Experimenting with unconventional durations like 24 or 43 minutes forces sharper focus and avoids back-to-back scheduling fatigue.

• Hologram Technology: The future could include avatar-based or hologram-enabled meetings, allowing for immersive collaboration without physical presence.

The underlying principle? Meetings should adapt to the needs of your team, not the other way around. Flexibility, creativity, and alignment are key to their success.

Transforming meetings doesn't require an overhaul, but it does demand intentionality. Meetings are a reflection of your organization's culture. When done right, they build alignment, foster innovation, and drive momentum. When done poorly, they waste time and erode morale. By adopting purposeful practices and embracing flexibility, you can lead yourself, your team and your organization to a meeting culture that works and creates the required outcomes.