Vain Meetings

All company meetings can be characterized by their goal:

1. To exchange some information (e.g. status meetings, reporting meetings).
   
2. To discuss some issue(s) and come to decision.
3. To comment something that happened or is going to happen.
   

I've ordered these three goals by their popularity (most frequent goal is the first). But the same order is also valid for percentage of useless meetings (highest percent goes first).


Common important thing for all kinds of meetings is the audience. Missing some required person or having someone, who is not involved into the subject, significantly reduces effectiveness and sometimes becomes complete waste of time.


But let's continue talking only about the 1st kind of meetings, because they "kill" much more valuable time than all others together.


The reason is quite simple. We are so used to such information exchange meetings, so almost nobody tries to think if particular meeting is really required, but just schedules it...


There is a short questionnaire that can help you to identify problems related to particular information exchange and decision making meetings:

• Is there enough information to create meeting followup letter?

Nothing to say about the meeting results? Probably, the meeting was completely useless...

• Is it possible to divide followup items in groups by people involved in an each particular issue? One person can be in one group only.
  

Do we have two or more groups? If so, it would be better to divide the meeting in smaller parts with reduced audience.

• (related to the question above) Do we have a group or groups of one participant only?
  

If so, then there was no need to invite these participants to the meeting. It would save their own and other's time.


Well, it seems like I've gone too far... Of course, information exchange meetings are still required and important:

1. People, who works in the same area, need time to communicate together. Status meetings fit this purpose until most participants really communicate there. If not, then the meetings are too often, or there are too many participants.
2. Reporting meeting are useful both for upper management and for colleagues to observe progress results. But if people becomes sleepy, then either meetings are too often (there is nothing new each time) or too long (there are a lot of unnecessary details).