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There are meetings. Then there are meetings to discuss what you just met about. Then there are meetings to meet about what your future meeting is about. Then there’s the meeting to prepare for the meeting, that’s purpose is to prepare for the real meeting. Shockingly, only 15 minutes out of every hour is a waste of your time.
In an exclusive study performed by Robert Haft Management Resources, 25% of every hour spent meeting is 100% useless. Sounds like someone called in the Bobs. Senior Executive Director Paul McDonald tried to explain the phenomenon that has become modern corporate torture.
“In addition to sometimes being unnecessary, the discussions can easily go off track,” he says. “It’s just human nature, but people feel comfortable discussing their own agendas and engaging in small talk, and too few meeting leaders are effective at reining in the conversation. Meetings also commonly start late waiting for attendees to arrive, which means the gatherings end late, further eating into the day and showing a lack of respect for others’ time.”
Now, as someone who has no respect whatsoever for his coworkers’ time, I can still agree that topics are usually decided about 10 minutes in. Any Outlook Invite with the subject “Weekly/Daily Staff Meeting” is bound to be a waste because its only purpose is to continue ceaselessly until the company gets acquired and sold for parts.
[via The Street]
Considering I just read this, and am posting this, during a meeting, I’d have to agree.
I’d argue 90% of time in meetings is pointless. Meetings suck.