Why your meetings suck (and what to do about it)

The phrase ‘could have been an email’ contains a harsh but true comment on the state of meetings: most of them don’t need to happen. 71% percent of them, according to recent research. 

Meetings are logistically tricky, expensive, stressful, and they interrupt peoples’ heads-down work time. They are universally loathed. So why are we so addicted to them? There are several theories on the phenomenon of ‘meeting overload’, ranging from meeting FOMO to selfish urgency, so what do we do to keep bad meetings to a minimum? 

Firstly, make sure the meeting really needs to happen. And secondly, make sure it’s run well. With a bit of forward planning, you can make this a reality. 

What’s the purpose of a meeting?

Meetings are a cornerstone of good, efficient collaboration in an organization. Their primary goal is to bring people together to solve problems, make decisions, and/or align goals. 

They can be in-person, or virtual. They can involve hundreds of people or be one-on-one. Whatever the format, meetings offer a platform for people to exchange ideas, clarify misunderstandings, and build a shared understanding of the task(s) at hand. 

Ultimately, the goal of any meeting should be to achieve a clear, actionable outcome that moves the project or organization closer to its goals. 

Does this meeting really need to happen?

Efficient, productive, and motivating: When meetings are done well, they drive projects forward and give people a forum to voice their thoughts. But done badly, they’re unproductive and expensive — and no one likes wasting their time or money.

Before scheduling a meeting, it’s important to ask yourself ‘does this meeting really need to happen?’ You might want to consider communicating through other means, like an email, memo, or chat. 

Ask these questions:

• Is there a clear purpose for this meeting?
• Are the right people available to attend?
• Can the objectives be achieved without gathering everyone together?

If the meeting’s goal is to make a decision and solve a complex problem, and it calls for group brainstorming, then it’s likely justified. But if it’s just to share information that doesn’t need immediate feedback, consider other methods. 

Being mindful about the necessity of a meeting helps respect everyone’s time, and means that when meetings do happen, they’re productive and valued.  

What counts as a meeting (and what doesn’t)

Not all gatherings qualify as meetings. Understanding the distinction can help you plan your time more effectively.

Meetings typically include:

• Decision-making sessions: Where a team needs to make those big calls.
• Problem-solving meetings: Focused on addressing specific issues and finding solutions.
• Brainstorming sessions: Aimed at generating ideas and fostering creativity.
• Strategic planning meetings: Discussing long-term goals and strategies.

Not necessarily meetings:

• Status updates: You can often handle these through reports, email updates, or via notifications on your project management tool. If you can avoid interrupting people’s working day with a meeting, then do it.
• Presentations: If the primary purpose is to transmit information, a presentation often works just as well. Record it and let the team watch it asynchronously, which means less of an interruption to everyone’s workflow.
• Routine check-ins: These can usually happen via brief, informal conversations or messages, rather than formal meetings.

How to run a meeting (and make it good)

Just follow these steps to predictive meetings, every time. 

1. Create a meeting agenda

An agenda is the backbone of a productive meeting. It gives structure and ensures you cover all the essentials. 

A good agenda should be shared with participants in advance so they can prepare. It should clearly outline the topics to be discussed, the time allocated for each, and the goals for the meeting.

• Before you begin, assign roles and let them know before the meeting starts. You’ll want a facilitator, a note/minutes taker, and if you want someone to share their knowledge about a specific topic, let them know beforehand so they can arrive prepared. 
• Craft and order your agenda items. Begin by thinking about what you want to achieve, then frame your items as questions to encourage critical engagement. Once you’ve done that, prioritize the most important ones first so they’re discussed while energy levels (and participation) are high. 

Here’s an example agenda format (note — timings may differ depending on the type of meeting:

1. Welcome and introduction (5 minutes)
2. Review of previous meeting’s minutes (10 minutes)
3. Main discussion topics (30 minutes)
   • Topic 1: Presenter and discussion (10 minutes)
   • Topic 2: Presenter and discussion (10 minutes)
   • Topic 3: Presenter and discussion (10 minutes)
4. Action items and next steps (10 minutes)
5. Q&A and closing remarks (5 minutes)

A word on meeting timings 

Hands up who’s been to a meeting that should’ve been an email. Or one so rushed, it left more questions than answers? 

It’s important to respect everyone’s time. Time is money and meetings are expensive, so make sure yours pulls its weight. Meetings that drag on can lead to disengagement and reduced productivity, with people checking phones or checking out (mentally). Meetings that are too short don’t do the project or your employees justice. Here’s a guide to ideal meeting lengths (which apply for both IRL and virtual meetings:

Meeting type	Ideal length
Daily stand-up	15 minutes
Weekly team meeting	15-30 minutes
Brainstorming session	60-90 minutes
Strategic planning	60 minutes — 2 hours
One-on-one	30 minutes
Status update	15 – 30 minutes
Big decision-making meeting	From a few hours to the whole day
Retrospective	30 minutes per project week
All-hands meeting	30-90 minutes
Training meeting	1 – 2 hours
Crisis management meeting	From an hour to the whole day
Feedback meetings	30 minutes to 1 hour
Client meetings	30-90 minutes

2. Prepare

Sending out the agenda in advance is just the first step. To truly have a successful meeting, you’ll want to lay the foundations, including setting the scene, encouraging participants to come prepared with questions and materials, and promoting active listening.

The last two are especially important for remote meetings, where it’s all too easy to zone out or get distracted (pets, phones, builders being the top culprits)

Pre-meeting prep

• Send out the agenda: Make sure everyone knows what’s being discussed. 
• Share relevant documents: Distribute any reports, presentations, or data that you’ll reference throughout the meeting.
• Assign roles: Clarify who the facilitator/moderator is and who’s taking notes. Note down the remit of their roles so there’s no confusion.
• Think about the best time to hold your meeting: Obviously you’ll have to fit around various schedules, but avoiding Friday afternoon (late afternoons in general, for that matter) or just before lunch is usually for the best. Aim for the morning, when everyone has energy. Be sure to factor in timezones when you’re holding a remote meeting with geographically dispersed employees.
• Fine-tune your presentation: Get rid of overly wordy slides (remember, information on the slide should complement what you’re saying, ideally with images/charts, not echo it), and cut out unnecessary points or stages. Keep it lean!
• Plan snacks: If the meeting is going to be long, or take place over lunch time, plan snacks, or lunch so your participants don’t get hangry and unproductive. If the team’s remote, consider getting a pizza delivery sent out to the attendees. 

At the start of the meeting

• Open with an icebreaker: This helps participants feel more comfortable and engaged, especially in virtual settings. An icebreaker can be as simple as sharing a personal highlight from the week or a fun fact.
• Review the agenda: Briefly go over the agenda to remind everyone of the meeting’s goals and structure.

3. Make the meeting active and inclusive

An effective meeting is one where everyone feels heard and valued. Here are some tips for achieving this.

• Get everyone involved: Ask open-ended questions and invite input from all attendees, ideally every five minutes or so, to keep group engagement on a roll. Make sure quieter team members have the opportunity to speak.
• Use visual aids: Slides, charts, and other diagrams make complex information easier to understand, especially for visual learners.
• Break into smaller groups: For larger meetings, consider breaking into smaller groups for discussions and then reconvening to share insights. You might even want to send people away for individual work before reconvening — some folks require solitary time to think clearly, so make sure it’s an option.
• Manage the time: Stick to the agenda and keep an eye on the clock to make sure all topics are covered without rushing the discussion.
• Start on time: You don’t want people scrolling on their phones while you all wait for late arrivals, get the tech up and running, or fumble around with notes. Not only does it eat into valuable meeting time, it’s irritating, which might set an unproductive tone before you’ve even begun. Arrive early, get set up, and begin on the dot. 
• Get to the point: Meetings should be a no-waffle zone. 
• Encourage questions: Get people to write down questions, then go round and share them with the team at designated points (or after the meeting). 
• Chunk the meeting: Break the meeting down into sections. This provides structure and a feeling of progress. Better yet, assign a different person to talk for each section for variety.
• Encourage written notes: Studies show we remember things better when we write them down, rather than type them.
• Let people doodle/process information in their own way: Neurodivergent people often find it easier to take in verbal information when they can move around or doodle. If you see someone doing that, don’t ask them to stop — it may look like they’re not paying attention, when in fact they’re focusing more than if they were looking right at you.

4. Close the meeting

Closing a meeting effectively is just as important as starting it right, and central to this is creating actionable steps. It’s easy to lose track in a whirl of meetings and tasks that make up the working day, so summarize the key points discussed and send them out immediately after the meeting is adjourned.

• Recap the meeting: Briefly go over the main points and decisions.
• Let people ask questions: If you didn’t allow running questions, now’s the time to let people chip in.
• Assign action items: Clearly state what needs to be done, who is responsible, and the deadlines for each task. Make them accessible (e.g. via your project management software, or via a shared video link).
• Set the next meeting date: If a follow-up meeting is needed, schedule it before everyone leaves.
• Thank everyone for their time: A little appreciation can go a long way in fostering a positive team environment.

5. After the meeting 

Good post-meeting hygiene is as important as planning. You’ll want to reflect on how it went, plus follow up on tasks set during the meeting’s close.  

Check in on progress

Regular follow-ups are crucial to making sure those meeting tasks are ticked off.

• Schedule check-ins: Depending on the complexity of the tasks, schedule regular check-ins to review progress. This could be in the form of brief emails, quick calls, additional meetings (or all three).
• Use project management tools: Utilize tools like Backlog to track the progress of those action items. These platforms give full visibility to everyone on the team with task tracking, real-time notifications, interactive burndown charts, and more.

Give feedback

Feedback is a key part of a continuous improvement culture, so reflect, analyze, and refine as you go. This will help you ensure the next meeting is better and more productive than the last. 

• Ask for feedback: After the meeting, ask participants for their thoughts on how the meeting was conducted. You can do this via surveys (make them anonymous for extra objectivity) or an informal conversation. Put those you’re asking at ease to encourage candid and honest thoughts. 
• Reflect on the meeting: Take some time to reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Use this information to make adjustments for future meetings.

Acknowledge and celebrate achievements

Recognize the efforts and achievements of everyone who took part. Celebrating small wins can boost morale and keep the team motivated. 

• Celebrate milestones: When you hit a key milestone or goal, take a moment to celebrate. Team shout-outs, emails, or small rewards all go down well. And remember to include everyone who attended the meeting, even if they weren’t involved in that specific task. is reached, 
• Express gratitude: A simple thank you can go a long way. Acknowledge the hard work and contributions of team members to foster a positive and collaborative team environment.

Use project management tools for better meetings 

Meetings should only happen when they’re the quickest, cheapest, and most effective way to accomplish something. For the rest of the time, there’s project management software. 

With real-time updates and dynamic progress charts, there’s no need for update meetings or even emails — just log in to catch up with the team. And post meeting, simply assign tasks and track their progress in a centralized platform for seamless information sharing. Embrace the power of collaborative software, where every interaction contributes to the success of your team. Give Backlog a try for free today.