Should this have been an email?

We have all been in one. That meeting where someone is talking on and on and you realize, “this should have been sent in an email”. Even worse than the realization that you are in a meeting that should have been an email is knowing YOU invited everyone to this meeting that should have been an email. Now you are the one the coworkers will be complaining about at the water cooler! Never fear! Here are some helpful tips to guide you on your way to holding effective meetings.

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A 2022 study collaboration between Otter.ai (a leading meeting transcription company) and Dr. Steven Rogelberg indicated that wasted time and money from meetings is a concern amongst employees across almost every industry. In this study of 632 participants, in over 20 different industries it was found that participants were spending on average 18 hours a week in meetings. Over half of these participants did not consider themselves essential to the meetings they were attending, but felt they were required to attend. 7 in 10 admitted to multitasking during these meetings. Participants stated they would like to reduce their meeting time by more than a third!

In addition to the time waste, unnecessary meetings also pose a financial cost to companies. This same study used the average of participant studies to determine that on average, a company spent $25,000 per employee annually on meetings that the employee did not need to be part of! This doesn’t factor into the time spent out of the formal meeting where employees may be rehashing or stressing about the time constraint of the meeting.

While acknowledging that many meetings can be a waste of time and energy, there are very valid reasons to hold a meeting. Something I have always encouraged my direct reports and trainees to do is to ask themselves if their meeting is for one of four purposes. Are they going to brainstorm? Do they need to make a decision or accomplish something? Is this meeting intended to create a bond? Will they be teaching/sharing information? If the latter – is this information better documented in an email or through a meeting? Once the meeting type is determined then the ideal number of participants can be determined. There are no concrete rules, but generally, a small meeting is best to actually decide or accomplish something; a medium-sized meeting is ideal for brainstorming; and for communicating and rallying, you can go as large as you want. Harvard Business Review advocates the 8-18-1800 rule of thumb. If the meeting has to have a tangible outcome (a decision, something accomplished) 8 or fewer should be the number of participants you are aiming for. Any more may result in too much conflict, resulting in the tangible act not being able to be completed. If you are brainstorming, or multiple people will be making updates and sharing information the golden number is 18. Too many will result in too many ideas for participants to focus. If the purpose of the meeting is to cheer on the team, or to create a team bonding experience....invite the number you need or want!

When keeping this number in mind, how do you determine who to invite? My rule of thumb is to consider who the stakeholders are. Who has the information needed for the meeting? Who are the key decision makers? Who may be required to implement any decisions? Who needs to know the information you are reporting on to do their jobs?

Now that you know some tips and tricks to determining if a meeting needs to be held, go out and send your invitations accordingly!

This is part one of a three-part series on holding effective meetings. Next up in our series will be agenda setting.