Recently, during a meeting I was conducting on holding meetings, I was asked when not to hold a meeting. Good question. I had mentioned not to invite the entire staff to a meeting when only one or two people needed to attend, but I hadn’t said much more about it. So, I started thinking and did a little research.
“We surveyed 182 senior managers in a range of industries: 65% said meetings keep them from completing their own work. 71% said meetings are unproductive and inefficient. 64% said meetings come at the expense of deep thinking. 62% said meetings miss opportunities to bring the team closer together.” — Harvard Business Review — Stop the Meeting Madness.
Survey after survey shows that meetings are among the least liked activities in any organization. Why is that? Is it because there are too many? Could it be because the meeting needs more structure? Is it because the meeting turned into a rambling lecture? Yes, to all of the above.
When Not to Hold a Meeting
When it’s holding someone accountable or training that not everyone needs
I remember a sales manager asking me to review a meeting about following certain company guidelines. He was planning to give the meeting to the entire team. I asked him how many of the salespeople were not following the guidelines. He answered one. We talked about why he didn’t need a meeting. He needed one-on-one training with the salesperson not following the guidelines. Having the entire staff at the meeting would be wasting time for those following the guidelines. It could raise doubts about the guidelines and, at least, be boring. He held a training session with the one.
When it can be managed with a short email, chat, or sharing printed info, such as a training checklist
How many meetings have we all sat through that could’ve been managed in a more efficient way? If the topic is a specific point, send an email. If you want input trying chatting with teammates one-on-one. Or if it’s a topic that’s been previously covered, sometimes it’s good to revisit a meeting. However, if there’s printed material, you might try reshaping that first.
If key team members can’t attend, such as a department manager, when discussing their department
It might seem silly to include this point, but I’ve been in a meeting like this, have you? Before planning any meeting, be sure all decision-making and invested team members are available to attend.
If the topic is not urgent or all that critical
Before scheduling a meeting, ask yourself how urgent, important, or critical is the topic of the meeting? I know I’ve held meetings for no other reason than we were scheduled to meet – not a good reason. Also, if you’ve scheduled an hour for a meeting but get it done in 40 minutes, end the meeting.
“Are you familiar with Parkinson’s Law? In 1955, the British historian and author C. Northcote Parkinson stated that “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”
Understanding Parkinson’s Law can help you and your team stay on task, save energy, and accomplish more. It will help you save time and keep meetings from being a source of negative vibes that spread throughout your culture.” — 3 Ways Understanding Parkinson’s Law Leads to More Productive Meetings.
During peak productive hours
Such as, too early or late in the day, or if short-staffed to the point where it would affect production. Also, consider rescheduling if the team is overwhelmed, burned out, or already has high workloads.
So, do you know when not to hold a meeting? Start by asking how critical the topic is, who needs the information, and what could it disrupt?
How Can I Help You?
I like helping people and organizations, but I have three criteria before taking an assignment: I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me.
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If you enjoyed this post you might also like Unplanned Meetings Are a Waste of Time.
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