{"id":368,"date":"2017-01-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.onpressidium.com\/meetings-why-youre-almost-definitely-wasting-your-time\/"},"modified":"2023-03-24T10:34:50","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T23:34:50","slug":"meetings-why-youre-almost-definitely-wasting-your-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/meetings-why-youre-almost-definitely-wasting-your-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Meetings: why you’re almost definitely wasting your time."},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Like most business owners, I spend my fair share of time in meetings. Catch-ups with clients, work in progress meetings with the team, briefing sessions with writers, workshops with the accountant. Outside of work, there are even those endless meetings with my apartment strata committee, where we mill around inhaling the fragrance of the bins arguing over the existence of someone\u2019s cat*.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019ve noticed over the years is that, no matter what you call them, meetings are often an enormous waste of time. I walk away feeling ripped off and frustrated, wondering what problem we were trying to solve, and how on earth we\u2019ll ever solve it. Knowing that the answer will probably be to arrange another damn meeting<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I know I\u2019m not alone in feeling this way. David Pich, CEO of the Australian Institute of Management<\/a>, tells me that most people struggle with inefficient meetings \u2013 himself included. \u201cUnfortunately, people tend to hold meetings without really thinking things through. They invite people who don\u2019t really need to be there, just to cover all bases. That means you can easily end up sitting there for no good reason at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If meetings are so inefficient, why do we still have them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

People have been holding meetings, in various forms, since the dawn of civilisation. Think Knights of the Round Table, ancient Athenian assemblies, tribal councils, and so on. The concept of the business meeting is really just an evolution of this trend. Particularly before telecommunications developed, getting people together in one place was a good way (in fact the only way) to discuss matters of shared interest and make important decisions.<\/p>\n

The problem is that now, we\u2019ve drifted onto autopilot. The decisions we\u2019re making and the topics we\u2019re discussing often aren\u2019t<\/em> that important. We\u2019re so used to meetings, we call them at the drop of a hat. And because our calendars are so clogged, we stop taking meetings seriously \u2013 or putting in the effort required to make them worthwhile.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So what can we do about all this meeting time wastage?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my experience, there are a few really simple techniques that can make a massive difference. They\u2019re not always easy to stick to (or convince others to stick to) but I can guarantee it\u2019s worth persevering. Ready? Here goes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

#1. First of all, ask what needs to happen<\/em> as a result of this meeting.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re calling the meeting, or just being asked to attend, this is an extremely valid question to ask. What is the point of bringing people together? What issue needs to be discussed, debated or solved? What is the desired outcome?<\/p>\n

Perhaps you need to get a budget signed off. Maybe you need a strategy approved. You might even need to reach an agreement on a contentious subject. Whatever the case, it’s essential to work out the purpose of the meeting before you do anything else. If there\u2019s no clear point, there should be no meeting. Ditto if the issue is straightforward, minor, or involves few people \u2013 these things can usually be solved over email.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo few people look at meetings in terms of the decisions that need to be made,\u201d agrees Pich. \u201cThis is really the one question you should ask upfront. From there you can determine who can actually make that decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which brings us to point two\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

#2. Decide who really, really<\/em> needs to be there.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve identified your goal, work out who needs to be involved. Who are the key players that can make this happen? Who can you absolutely not afford to leave out? If these key players can\u2019t be there, is there any point meeting up at all? (spoiler alert: the answer is no<\/em>).<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople tend to make assumptions about who holds the power in businesses,\u201d says Pich. \u201cIt happens to me a lot as a CEO \u2013 people think that as the most senior person in the room, it\u2019s me who\u2019ll be deciding things. But this is not always the case. If it\u2019s an IT matter, for example, I\u2019ll delegate decision-making to a team member \u2013 so if he or she is there, I don\u2019t need to be. In fact, inviting people who aren\u2019t involved in the decision-making process can actually be quite disruptive.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re drawing up your list of invitees, also consider whether everyone needs to be present in person, or for the whole saga. If you need the CEO to green light a simple decision, it\u2019ll be much easier to convince them to dial in for ten minutes at the end rather than sacrificing an entire precious hour (plus travel time). When you whittle down your attendees, it\u2019s also easier to agree on a time and location that works for everyone.<\/p>\n

Finally, remember that it works the other way too: you don\u2019t need to go to a meeting, just because you\u2019ve been invited. It\u2019s not your sister\u2019s wedding. If you don\u2019t feel your presence will add anything, politely decline (and explain why). Your time is precious, and (unless you\u2019re hanging for some limp pseudo-sandwiches and meaningless chit chat) you can probably find a better way to spend it than in yet another meeting. Pich also stresses\u00a0this point, telling me he only accepts around 20% of meeting requests that he receives.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

#3. Set your agenda.<\/strong><\/p>\n

OK, so once you know what needs to be decided and who will be in the room, work out the structure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Australia, we\u2019re pretty laid back \u2013 but the downside is that it can quickly slip into disorganisation,\u201d says Pich. \u201cIn my mind, an agenda is key. People can get all processy about this, but really it just needs to be a list of topics we need to cover. Tell me what you want to talk to me about, so at the very least I can prepare. I also like it when I see an agenda with time allocated to each topic, so I can see how long we\u2019ll be spending on what.\u201d<\/p>\n

On that note, Pich reiterates that preparation is vital if you want to use time wisely. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing worse than being asked to contribute to a discussion you have no idea about. So typically on a Sunday I look at the week ahead, and prepare for what\u2019s coming up, whether that involves background reading or talking to other people. Then in the meeting I\u2019ll be in the right headspace. If a discussion is sprung on me, that\u2019s when I\u2019ll be more likely to say something on the spot and change my mind later. Decisions usually require a bit of reflection beforehand. If people aren\u2019t given time to prepare, they just can\u2019t operate at their best.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

#4. Be ruthless with time management.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking of optimal operations\u2026 it should go without saying that punctuality is pivotal. How how many times have you sat around playing on your phone waiting from Gerry from Sales to grace your meeting with his presence? Well, those days need to end. People need to show up on time \u2013 otherwise you\u2019re wasting more money than a fleet of taxis. Gerry and his slack arse buddies need to get with the goddamn program.<\/p>\n

Once, a company I worked for introduced a rule where, if all attendees hadn\u2019t appeared within 5 minutes of the meeting time, the meeting was cancelled. This rule worked a treat, and I recommend it. People didn\u2019t like it at first, but they adapted. And, most importantly, they started taking meetings seriously.<\/p>\n

When you kick off the meeting, it\u2019s also a good idea to appoint a time keeper, who\u2019ll keep an eye on both the clock and agenda \u2013 and can nudge things along should you get stuck on a particular point. Life isn\u2019t like an episode of Masterchef \u2013 not every challenge can neatly be completed in the time allotted. But if someone\u2019s keeping their eye on the big picture, you can at least keep things moving, get some<\/em> sh*t done, and park the thorny subjects to come back to later (or delegate them to a sub-committee).<\/p>\n

According to Pich, it\u2019s important to open the meeting properly. \u201cAnd by that, I mean simply stating the purpose of the meeting and quickly summarising the points you\u2019ll cover. Quite often we forget to do this.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother small but important thing is to introduce the people present and explain why they\u2019re there \u2013 so we all know what stake each other has in the meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

#5. Don\u2019t forget to follow through.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So you\u2019ve had your meeting, covered your topics, reached your conclusions and time is almost up. How do you wrap things up \u2013 and make sure people don\u2019t forget about things the moment they leave the conference room?<\/p>\n

\u201cAllow time to summarise what\u2019s been said,\u201d says Pich. \u201cMake sure someone\u2019s been taking notes. Then email these through, along with action points, to everyone who\u2019s attended. People appreciate clear direction. And if you don\u2019t use your meeting to drive action, you risk having to endure yet another meeting to go through\u2026well, exactly what you\u2019ve just gone through.”<\/p>\n

And frankly, even Gerry has better things to do than that.<\/p>\n

*Cat technically belongs to me but let\u2019s just keep that between ourselves.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emma Heath is a Sydney-based communications professional and founder of copywriting & tone of voice consultancy Words By Nuance.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Like most business owners, I spend my fair share of time in meetings. Catch-ups with clients, work in progress meetings with the team, briefing sessions with writers, workshops with the accountant. Outside of work, there are even those endless meetings with my apartment strata committee, where we mill around inhaling the fragrance of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,52,54,55,59,57,60,1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1902,"href":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368\/revisions\/1902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordsbynuance.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}