What’s The Point Of A Meeting?
Because we have all the time in the world for pointless, unnecessary and eye-roll inducing chatter
There you are. Getting in to your rhythm.
You managed to politely side-step the morning unpleasantries from Negative Nancy and her crew of emotionally draining leeches. You completed the morning review of emails, expertly allotting the appropriate time block for personalised responses. You have even managed to make a cup of coffee without spilling three quarters of it whilst dodging questions from the accounts team as they chase you down the corridor (they really are a lot faster than they have a right to be).
And now. Finally. Down to the actual work of the day — the things you were planning on sinking your teeth in to as you planned the evening before; the bits that, when successfully completed, will make you high five a stranger because you’ve won the day. Oh man, you can feel it now. You even smile smugly to yourself.
Think again my love.
The pop-up on your computer reminds you, in a most unceremonious way, that you have a meeting.
You will seemingly have one of two reactions:
№1 → You have a momentary groan, realising that you will have to slightly postpone your high-five to a stranger, but then recoup quickly when remembering that the meetings are quite useful and engaging.
№2 → You die inside and decide to bury yourself under the desk with a graveston that reads, “Here lies {your name} who died of a lack of patience.”
The reaction is entirely based on the culture of meetings espoused in your workplace.
In order to foster a positive response to meetings within your work culture, one in which meetings are appreciated as effective and efficient, it’s worth considering the following questions:
№1 → Can the information or communication be covered in another form?
As much as the coffee mug with the statement, “I survived another meeting that should have been an email” triggers a wicked eye roll, the spirit of the message is apt.
We are fortunate to live in a time that caters to communication that does not require one’s physical presence. Don’t misunderstand me — there is certainly a benefit to meeting with people face-to-face, but such level of engagement is not necessary for most meetings and should require a higher standard of need or care; not just a weekly catch up or hearing about Darlene’s 13 cats.
Whilst I am not advocating a greater reliance on emails or video conferencing calls, oh good grief please let’s calm it down on those, there are numerous platforms to take advantage of in developing a system of communcation that does not interfere with working.
For example, programs like Doist’s Twist & Todoist applications or Slack specifically cater to team collaboration that is organised, mindful, and efficient. As stated on the Twist website, it’s
a communication app for teams who want a calmer, more organized, more productive workplace. No more chaotic group chat. No more messy email threads. Twist keeps all your team’s conversations on topic and in one place so everyone can calmly catch up on their own schedule. Twist lets you communicate in full thoughts rather than one line at a time. Discuss issues. Share ideas. Get feedback. In short, have the kinds of in-depth, on-topic conversations that really move work forward.
As someone who works both remotely and in a traditional office, I’ve used Twist and Todoist successfully in both settings. In fact, I introduced Todoist in the office and the number of meetings held not only drastically reduced, but the ones held were far more focused and purpose driven. According to their description, Todoist is “Team task management made simple and transparent. It’s accountability without all the bureaucracy — available on every device your team touches. For teams that want to spend less time managing work and more time putting awesome things out into the world.”
It would be silly of me to attempt identifying the various scenarios in which an alternate form of communication would be just as (if not more) effective than a face-to-face meeting; so, I encourage you to have this discussion with your team. I imagine 90% of the meetings you currently hold could be dismissed!
If you’re curious about different platforms, check out Twist v Slack and Twist v Email. It is worth noting that I am unashamedly Team Doist (not literally, just a huge fan)!
№2 → Why Why Why?
Before calling the meeting, imagine that the CEO or El Jeffe rocks up to the meeting unexpectedly and asks, “Why are you all here?”
And you respond, “We’re meeting about X”
El Jeffe says, “Great. Why?”
And you respond, “Because X”
El Jeffe says, “Okay. Why?”
And you respond, “Because Y and Z”
The point here is to consider whether El Jeffe would approve of your reasons for interrupting people’s work flow. And questioning it three times promotes a deeper analysis of your purpose. You could also imagine the ‘why’ applying to each person invited to the meeting. Often, those sitting around the meeting table have no value to add; and that’s not meant to be an insult — it’s meant to be a point of reflection to those who organise meetings.
If you had to pay £150 for each person attending the meeting, who would you invite? If some of the people in your mind *poof* and disappeared, this is a great indication of whether their presence is truly required!
David Allen, an acclaimed productivity and organisation guru, states that
One of the greatest blocks to organizational productivity is the lack of decision by a senior person about the necessity of a meeting, and with whom, to move an important issue forward.
Taking a moment to consider these two questions could be the catalyst for positive change in your workplace’s culture of meetings. Rather than having your staff die inside when the meeting reminder flashes on their screens, make meetings more than an inconvenience.
And if all else fails, there is always pizza.
