71% of Meetings are Useless. Here's What to Do Instead

Meetings have been a fundamental part of work and office life for many years. They're so familiar to us that it's easy to assume business can't happen without them.

But is this necessarily the case? It's worth giving some serious thought to the idea of whether you need to continue with meetings in their standard format, especially if they're starting to prove counterproductive.

As soon as you begin to suspect that the negative repercussions of these events are outweighing the benefits, it's time to think about what you could do instead of having a meeting.

The unintended consequences of meetings

Meetings can be hugely beneficial as they allow co-workers and managers to brainstorm ideas, share problems, set goals and plan projects that could prove crucial to the future success of the business.

No one arranges a meeting with the intention of wasting people's time, but it's important to note that meetings are only fruitful and productive if they're planned and managed in the right way. Various reports and studies on business meetings suggest that this doesn't always happen:

• 71% of senior managers believe meetings are unproductive
• 67% of employees complain that spending too much time in meetings limits their productivity at work
• 95% of workers admit to frequently losing focus and missing parts of meetings
• The average number of meetings (including virtual events) attended by employees in 2020 rose by 13.5%

The figures also provided an insight into just how much time is dedicated to meetings, with 11 million taking place every single day. This reportedly occupies 15% of the average organization's time - a figure that’s increased every year since 2008.

Four alternatives to face to face meetings

If you've decided the time has come to seek an alternative to traditional meetings, there are various options you could consider.

1. Call or send an instant message

One of the most common causes of wasted time and inefficiency in meetings is when entire teams of people are brought together to spend an hour listening to a rambling discussion that’s only relevant to a select few of them.

Before resorting to the default option of arranging a meeting, ask whether the key points you need to make or questions you have to ask can be addressed more quickly and efficiently with a phone call, or even an instant message to the relevant parties.

Think carefully about who really needs to be involved in the process and whether arranging a meeting (with everything that involves - like booking a room and finding a time that fits into everyone's calendars) is really the quickest and most effective way to connect with them.

2. Use collaboration tools

In the past, it was necessary to hold a meeting every time different members of a team needed to share information, give a project status update or ask for the input of their colleagues. Now, it's possible to do all of these things and much more with dedicated collaboration tools and project management platforms.

Technological progress and the constant development of new software have given businesses access to more solutions than ever before. Among the most popular and capable are:

• Microsoft 365
• Slack
• Asana
• Trello
• Podio

3. Walk and talk

Most people who’ve spent any time sitting around desks in bland and uninspiring meeting rooms, trying to follow a presentation or brainstorm solutions to a problem, will know that this isn't always the most constructive way to work.

One of the first steps to getting out of the traditional meeting mindset is recognizing that people don't have to gather in a room and sit around a desk to be productive. Consider how you might be able to get small groups of people together for 'walk and talk' sessions, which can be particularly beneficial if they happen outside in the fresh air.

Research has shown that walking is good for your mental health and can also help you be more innovative and creative in your thinking.

4. Supply information for people to access in their own time

If you have a large amount of important (but perhaps not the most engaging) information you need to pass on to your employees, a meeting might be the least efficient way to convey it.

People who are forced to sit down and listen as their manager gives an update on business finances, or the latest changes to company policies, are likely to lose interest quickly and forget a large portion of what they've heard.

Instead, think about how you can package the information in a more engaging way for people to access in their own time. For example, you could create a video that encapsulates your key points in a more memorable way, or share an FAQ sheet answering the most common questions your staff are likely to have.

As well as helping your workforce digest the information more easily, approaches like these can boost morale and job satisfaction by showing that the company is interested in helping its workers make the best possible use of their time.