- Statistics reveal that 47% of workers consider meetings the top “time waster” at work, while 45% of all working professionals feel overwhelmed by their meeting schedules.
- The essentials for productive meetings include assigning three specific roles within your team, establishing clear goals, and consistently concluding meetings on times ending in “5” (e.g., 1:55pm, not 2pm).
- Communication expert and Optimist Instructor Lori Zukin explains these tips and more.
Meetings: love them or loathe them, they’re with us to stay. If you’re lucky enough to rise through the ranks, statistics suggest that a significant chunk of your work hours—up to 50% for upper management—could be spent in meetings. That’s a staggering 30,000 to 45,000 hours over an entire career, akin to watching the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy nearly 4,000 times from start to finish.
No wonder the refrain “this could’ve been an email” is so common.
But what if meetings didn’t have to be a drain on time and productivity? According to communication expert Lori Zukin—who teaches a popular course in The Optimism Library called “Make Meetings Efficient and Productive”—the key to great meetings lies in one word: structure. With the right framework, meetings can become more than just hum-drum gatherings—they can be opportunities for collaboration, clarity, and progress.
Here are three simple tips from Lori to get you started:
1. Assign Exactly Three Roles Among Your Team for Every Meeting
“Knowing who owns the meeting can drastically improve its effectiveness,” says Lori. “Having clarity on who is the owner, even if it’s a fast meeting, is helpful, especially if you want to keep it fast in the first place.”
Note: This ownership also means owning all follow-up actions.
Alongside a meeting owner, Lori recommends designated a notetaker and a timekeeper, as well.
“Assigning someone to take notes and another as a timekeeper ensures that A) important decisions and details are remembered and B) the meeting runs smoothly and respects everyone’s time,” she says.
2. Schedule Your Meetings to Conclude on Numbers That End in “5”
Instead of scheduling a meeting to run from 1:00pm to 2:00pm, Lori recommends a simple yet effective hack: Schedule it to run from 1:00pm to 1:55pm. Instead of hosting a meeting that runs from 2pm to 2:30, make it 2pm to 2:25pm.
This slight adjustment provides crucial buffer time between meetings, allowing participants to decompress, address urgent tasks, or simply take a breather. In a remote-work world filled with Zoom calls, this could simply mean giving your team the opportunity to use the bathroom.
These short breaks are vital for sustaining energy and concentration throughout the day, enhancing productivity and reducing the strain of consecutive meetings.
“Having 5 minutes in between meetings can significantly enhance productivity and reduce the stress associated with back-to-back scheduling,” says Lori.
3. Yes, Every Meeting Needs a Stated Goal Agreed Upon Beforehand
Every meeting should begin with a clear agenda that acts as a roadmap for the discussion, ensuring that all participants are aligned with the meeting’s objectives.
“Ideally you’ve done it before,” says Lori, highlighting the importance of preparation. “A well-planned agenda includes the meeting’s title, date, time, location, and participants, along with a detailed outline of what will be discussed.”
This transparency ensures that everyone understands the purpose of the meeting and is prepared to contribute effectively. This agenda can also be where the aforementioned notetaker can compile the takeaways from the meeting in a place everyone can see them.
Oh, and if you don’t have a clear goal you want to achieve for your meeting? According to Lori, that’s a surefire sign that the meeting could’ve been an email.
For more, check out The Optimism Library.
