Is there anything to be gained by holding a meeting, or is it simply the “thing to do” to accept a decision that has already been made or the opportunity to vent about an unpopular idea? If this is the case, is the cost of the meeting worth the labor and morale expense of the project or business? Before scheduling the next meeting, ask “Is this meeting really necessary?” Use the five indicators below to help answer the question and determine when not to hold a meeting.
- The meeting owner cannot express a valid purpose for the meeting’s desired objectives, goals, and accomplishments in one or two written awards. Why is this particular meeting necessary at this specific time? If the purpose of the meeting cannot be defined, then the meeting is irrelevant and would be a waste of everyone’s time. Do not go any further in the planning process until a true purpose related to the business is defined.
- The meeting leader does not have a set agenda indicating the topics and group actions to be taken on each one. If the person hosting the meeting can’t focus enough to plan the action steps the meeting needs to go through, how can they expect the people invited to focus on achieving the desired results? Agendas are necessary to focus the meeting, guide the process, as well as start and end the meeting on time.
- The active participation of all potential attendees is not required to fulfill the main purpose and topics of the meeting. Why call a meeting if there is no group work to be done? If there is something that needs to be shared with one or two people, who usually attend your meetings, consider having a short informal meeting in your office, the break room, a quick chat in the hallway, or using the phone. This saves the time of others who would have to attend a meeting with topics that may not be related to their work endeavors. If information that does not require discussion is to be shared, determine if it could be provided in writing instead. If possible, send the information in an email or as an attachment instead of putting everyone in a meeting room or conference call.
- The attendees who can attend the meeting may not be the ones needed at the chosen date and time. For example, those who make important decisions or those who best understand the problem or work to be discussed cannot attend. If a decision has already been made, is a meeting necessary to inform everyone or to try to get “buy-in”? This can lead to low trust in the leader of the meeting. Is it relevant to discuss a perceived problem or workflow issues, if the people closest to the problem or problem are not available? Leaving out those most involved will not produce effective results and may breed resentment.
- The meeting organizer cannot find a good place to hold the meeting. This may seem like a no-brainer, but some people actually do all the planning above, but forget to book a meeting spot! Is there a room available that has comfortable seating for all attendees? Will this room meet any technical requirements that may be needed for the meeting? Is the meeting location convenient for most attendees? Most people don’t look forward to meetings, especially if they experience discomfort, waste time on equipment issues, or have to spend extra time just traveling to the meeting. If a meeting place has not been agreed upon in advance, too much valuable time will be wasted trying to find a place to meet when everyone arrives at the venue, so simply reschedule for another date.
Keep in mind that just because you set a regularly scheduled meeting time and place doesn’t mean everyone has to be together. If any of the five indicators above appear when scheduling a meeting, simply cancel the meeting for this week or for now if it won’t affect project or team productivity. By canceling unnecessary meetings, everyone who would be involved may see next week’s meeting as more necessary. No doubt, all potential meeting attendees will have more time to do other work in the current week. People often appreciate if they don’t have to attend a formal meeting that is unnecessary. By canceling unnecessary meetings, planned attendees can use time more wisely on their own. Remember to plan the meeting correctly and always ask “Is this meeting really necessary?”