How to Make Your Meetings Useful and Productive

By Dennis McCafferty | Posted 2017-07-28

1 of

How to Make Your Meetings Useful and Productive

Many employees complain that they're spending too much time in unproductive meetings. Find out how collaboration from participants can make meetings productive.
Packed Schedule

49% of the professionals surveyed said they are being asked to participate in more meetings now than they did a year ago.
Endless Agenda

28% said meetings are longer than they were a year ago, and 35% said most meetings last too long.
Useless Effort

22% of the professionals surveyed said most meetings they attend are a waste of time.
Why Meetings Fail

Meeting goals aren't established: 48%, Some don't participate, or feel their participation is needed: 30%, Difficulties in determining whether people are participating: 21%
Why Meetings Succeed

Relevant topics: 54%, Sticking to an agenda: 48%, Decisive action taken: 48%
Silent Partners

31% of the professionals surveyed said there isn't enough participation from all attendees during meetings.
MIA

38% said they zone out when they're not speaking at meetings.
Multitaskers, Part I

30% of the professionals surveyed admitted that they work on other projects while attending virtual and conference call meetings, and 21% said they surf the web.
Multitaskers, Part II

21% said they check social media while attending virtual and conference call meetings, and 18% said they're thinking about vacation.
All's Well That Ends Well

Despite issues with meetings, 41% of the survey respondents said they usually leave them thinking that good decisions were made, and 38% said they feel their contributions were valuable.
View All Slideshows >

What makes the "dreaded meeting" so dreadful? In many cases, it's because very few people actually make a contribution, according to a recent survey from Klaxoon. The resulting "America in Meetings" report indicates that many survey respondents are participating in more meetings than they did a year ago, and these get-togethers keep lasting longer. In addition, significant numbers of the professionals surveyed think that meetings—whether in person, virtual or via conference calls—are a waste of their time. That's often because the goals are unclear and/or participation is lacking from all attendees. In fact, quite a few survey respondents admitted that they zone out when not speaking during these sessions. To avoid this, meeting organizers should develop a concrete, clear agenda and stick to it, while fostering a more inclusive environment in which everyone contributes. "People learn best when they are really collaborating and interacting," said Matthieu Beucher, CEO of Klaxoon. "When they aren't, their minds wander and meetings fail." More than 2,000 U.S. professionals took part in the research.

Dennis McCafferty is a freelance writer for Baseline Magazine.