Is "no meetings" really the answer to "too many meetings"? We still need to interact and collaborate to get work done, and I personally dread what the alternative - more emails? - may be. I consider meetings essential moments for collaboration and delivery, and my answer is "effective meetings with purpose": clear goals and desired outcomes, well-structured agendas, and the right participants with defined expectations. All this topped with timeboxing: a thoughtful duration where we start and finish as planned.
Let's segregate meetings by purpose. This is one of the reasons I like the Scrum framework so much: in the context of a sprint, a timeboxed period in which the team delivers the planned work and value, different events take place. Each event has its own distinct purpose: a planning event, team syncs to maintain workflow and resolve impediments, a review to evaluate delivered value and gather stakeholder feedback; a retrospective to reflect on team’s performance and identify improvements. All events have recommended timeboxes, which teams adjust to their needs and then follow. We typically add focused working sessions where team members collaborate on actual deliverables. Interestingly, there are no dedicated "update" meetings—the team naturally stays informed through daily collaboration. In general, I place little value on pure update meetings. Why spend collective time on something that could be done individually, when we could use that time for meaningful discussions, idea generation, solutions identification, and decision-making? While update meetings can serve a purpose, I use them sparingly and only when truly necessary.
Effective meetings with purpose show respect for all involved. As a meeting organizer, I owe participants valuable use of their time. As a participant, I owe others my full attention and engagement, while ensuring my time is spent where it adds the most value. If we're unsure why we've been invited, we should ask. If there's no clear purpose or agenda, we should request one. We should also - politely - click that "decline" button when appropriate.
A significant part of my work involves organizing and facilitating meetings of all types. Whether it's a quick 15-minute team sync or a two-day strategic workshop, I experience first hand how well-planned meetings can unlock powerful collaboration and deliver outstanding results. It might seem obvious, but how often have you found yourself wondering "Why am I here?" Let's change that narrative by making every meeting count.
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