We’ve learned to hate meetings because meetings have come to represent many of our fears and insecurities around work. The way to solve these problems isn’t to scrap meetings but to re-energize them as opportunities for fun and growth.
We all know that feeling when the meeting you were trying half-heartedly to prepare for is suddenly canceled. It’s glee. It’s relief. The whole day is ahead of you.
The idea that meetings are costly and should be scrapped from the schedule is (understandably) popular. In January, Shopify took the anti-meeting stance to a new level, canceling 322,000 hours of recurring meetings. And yes, if you’re having bad, boring meetings, then of course you should scrap them. However, the anti-meeting evangelists are losing more than they gain with this new policy.
When I think about the breakthrough moments and critical decisions that have powered my business forward, none of them have happened by email; nearly all have been the direct result of meeting with people. Meetings today still represent a unique opportunity to spend focused time with a group of colleagues or an individual.
Having fewer meetings doesn’t lead to higher productivity (a common argument in the anti-meeting camp). Even Zoom, which had previously instituted a policy of minimal internal meetings, reversed this decision because the lack of meetings had become a “barrier to collaboration.”
Relearning the lost art of meetings
Good meetings are a lost art; it’s time for us to relearn. Here are four tactics to help:
1. Get clear on the why
The most important thing that’s often missing from dull meetings is purpose. People may feel that they need to meet and discuss a topic, but they’re unable to elucidate why. Or, people may want to hold a meeting to ease a personal sense of having been unproductive. Always ask the question: What is this meeting for?
A meeting needs a reason behind it so participants feel that leaders respect their time and enter the meeting ready to learn and grow. Possible reasons to have a meeting might be to share important information, gather feedback, collaborate on a training exercise, solve a problem, or bond over a new project. From a good purpose, a good agenda can follow—one that outlines topics to be discussed, activities to be tried, and any intended outcomes.
2. Always put training first
There are a few occasions when a meeting is highly necessary; training is one of those. If a meeting promises to impart new skills or consolidate existing ones, that meeting is essential to a teammate’s progress and success at work. Training meetings create a safe space for failure, provide success modeling, and offer chances to practice and adapt to real-time feedback. These are qualities that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
I live by this point to such an extent that I once pulled a sales rep off a pitch call so that they could attend a sales training. They weren’t happy with me, but I knew that even if the interrupted pitch caused them to lose a sale, their commitment to training would develop over time into a higher close rate and a greater set of skills.
3. Focus on value rather than regularity
Having monthly business reviews doesn’t mean your clients won’t churn. Unless you provide true value in every conversation and impact their goals, you’re taking away their valuable time. The same goes for employees. You don’t have to meet all the time, but you have to make sure you’re well prepared for the meetings you hold—have a clear purpose, a defined and efficient agenda, and opportunities to improve, such as role plays, exercises, or writing prompts.
As a leader, don’t be shy about making a meeting mandatory if you can be sure you’re creating a valuable resource. Reinforce the value of the meeting by drawing up a list of benefits. What can participants stand to gain? Will they leave having collaborated with colleagues? Will they have made their communication clearer? Remind them how the meeting will contribute to their goals, remove a problem from their day, or make their job more impactful (and enjoyable).
4. The leader should prep the hardest
So, you have a high-value reason for having a meeting, and the participants are clear on what that reason means for them; now you need to put that purpose to work in the meeting itself. Best practice meetings don’t look like someone standing at the front of a room, lecturing or rambling; they actively energize and engage participants. They include activities, relevant video clips or articles, and deliverables such as exercises or checklists.
This means leaders need to throw their all into planning. Make meetings that feel like football training or art class. Plan activities that get employees on their feet and test out skills with competitive role play or by putting yourself under the microscope and letting them critique you. You could listen to your best performer on a call or get out the sculpting clay and literally craft a new vision for the future.
We’ve learned to hate meetings because meetings have come to represent many of our fears and insecurities around work––we feel like we’re wasting time, we feel disrespected, we feel like we’ve lost contact with what matters. The way to solve these problems isn’t to scrap meetings but to re-energize our meetings as places of fun and challenge, safety and risk, where people know they will learn something essential.
Jeff Winters is CRO of Abstrakt Marketing Group.