We’ve all been there—staring at a screen full of faces, wondering why this hour-long meeting exists. Maybe someone’s explaining something that could have been a quick message. Perhaps key decision-makers are missing. Or half the participants are multitasking, cameras off. As teams spread across locations and time zones, running effective meetings has become more challenging and crucial than ever.
But it’s not all bad news. Research into what makes meetings work has never been more extensive, and we’ve gathered the key insights that can transform your collaboration time from draining to dynamic.”
Design Your Agenda with Purpose
Everyone recommends having an agenda, but Professor Steven Rogelberg, author of The Surprising Science of Meetings, says getting the content right is key. He recommends avoiding a “laundry list of topics” and instead asking specific, challenging questions, such as: “How will we reduce our spending by 100K by the end of the fiscal year?”
He also suggests asking attendees what should be on the agenda in order to improve engagement. He also says to put the most essential questions first. “Meeting science shows that content at the start of an agenda receives disproportionate amounts of time and attention, regardless of its importance,” Rogelberg says.
Choose Participants Carefully
Leadership development consultant Mary Abbajay says one of the biggest complaints about meetings is that the right people aren’t in the room. If key decision makers are absent, nothing can get done, while including “everybody and their sister” “wastes time and dilutes engagement.”
She recommends asking whose input is needed to reach the meeting’s goals and ensuring they are available and committed. “Do what you can to invite the right people, and only the right people,” Abbajay says.
Decide how to Decide
“We’re very clear at the beginning of every meeting whether it’s one person’s decision, or whether it’s more of a discussion to reach consensus,” says Carl Bass, former chief executive of Autodesk, in the New York Times.
People can contribute more effectively when they know if they’re attending to receive orders, discuss a plan of action, or brainstorm ideas. That way, you’ll get the right kind of engagement, and people won’t be disappointed if a discussion doesn’t lead to a democratic vote.
Engage Every Voice
It’s always been a problem in meetings when some people stay on the sidelines, but ensuring everyone participates is even more challenging when some are dialling in on Zoom. Jennifer Phillips at the messaging platform Slack suggests maintaining engagement by never going more than five minutes without giving the team a problem to work on.
She suggests that people write down questions, including in the Zoom chat, and tackle them together. She also recommends setting up breakout groups to discuss small decisions and report back. Phillips suggests providing a dedicated space for responses from remote team members, perhaps during an icebreaker, to get them comfortable chipping in.
Leave With an Action Plan
Honeywell’s former chief executive, David M. Cote, says the way a meeting ends is crucial. “Your job as a leader is to be right at the end of the meeting, not at the beginning of the meeting,” he says. Wrap up the meeting by discussing the next steps and deadlines.
Real estate developer Mark Toro tells the New York Times he ends meetings with a catchphrase that has become a common acronym in his office: WWDWBW, or Who Will Do What By When? “We track people who deliver and those who don’t,” he says.
Keep Time on Your Side
Research consistently shows that meetings tend to expand to fill whatever time is allocated to them—a phenomenon known as Parkinson’s Law. Many organisations are finding success with shorter meeting slots, such as 25 or 50 minutes, instead of the standard 30 or 60.
These compressed timeframes create natural breaks between meetings and tend to keep discussions more focused. When time is visibly limited, people naturally prioritise what matters most.
