Meetings Article(s)
Coaching, Leadership & Management
Stop Wasting Time: How to Run Meetings That Actually Work
Meetings are one of the most familiar features of modern working life but they’re also among the most common sources of frustration. Badly run meetings cost time, money, morale, and momentum. And now that we’re in a hybrid working world, the margin for inefficiency is slimmer than ever.
The problem isn’t meetings themselves. The problem is how they’re run. When meetings are purposeful, well-structured, and engaging, they can drive decision-making, creativity, and connection. When they aren’t, they drain energy and productivity.
Based on our own thoughts and experiences, as well as insights from our clients and colleagues, this article a fresh, practical approach to running effective meetings that balances the three Ps of Process, People, and Purpose. Whether you’re chairing weekly leadership sessions, participating in strategic planning workshops or just meeting some colleagues, we’re confident that these insights will help you make every meeting count.
First, Set the Bar: What Makes a Meeting Succeed?
Before improving meetings, we need to understand what success looks like. Every effective meeting shares a few critical elements:
A clear agenda shared in advance
The right people in the room
A thoughtful choice of timing and duration
A competent chair or facilitator
Defined topics and desired outcomes
A productive climate—inclusive, focused, and energising
Agreed rules of engagement or ground rules
No one element is more important than the others—but neglecting even one can compromise the whole.
To ground this in practice, let’s look at what to do (and what to avoid) when leading a meeting.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Meeting Leadership
Do:
Arrive before your attendees. You set the tone.
Greet people warmly—it humanises the process.
Use a timed agenda and stick to it.
Start by setting clear objectives.
Circulate materials in advance—less is more during the session.
Invite questions after each agenda item.
Speak with energy. Motivation is contagious.
Revisit the session’s objectives before closing.
Don’t:
Turn up late. It signals a lack of respect.
Wing it. Disorganisation breeds confusion.
Be vague or open-ended—set expectations and time limits.
Switch platforms mid-meeting—it causes disruption.
Monopolise the discussion or speak in monotone.
Panic if things veer off course. Stay calm, adjust, and refocus.
Four Questions Every Meeting Must Answer
If you want to engage people in a meeting, you must answer the questions they’re already asking themselves:
When can I leave?
Be upfront about the timing. Honour your finish time or, better yet, finish early! Surprise endings build goodwill.Who cares?
Engagement begins with relevance. Show that you care about attendees and their input, and they’ll return the favour.What’s in it for me?
Don’t just sell the organisational value, make clear the personal benefit or impact.What do I need to do about it?
End with clear, assigned action points. Don’t let delays erode hard-won momentum.
Purpose: The Missing Ingredient in Many Meetings
If a meeting doesn’t have a clearly defined purpose, it probably shouldn’t be happening. Meetings should do one or more of the following:
Decide something
Plan something
Educate or train
Solve a problem
Everything else – updates, announcements, status reports – is often better served via email, dashboard, or even just a shared document.
That being said, there’s a fifth purpose we often overlook: connection.
In the post-pandemic, hybrid-working world, people are craving genuine connection. Sometimes, the real value of a meeting lies not in what’s on the agenda, but in the space it provides for people to reconnect, check in, and recalibrate.
The Paradox of Power: Why Giving Control Away Gives You More
Leadership in meetings is about facilitation. The more you empower others, the more effective and respected you become.
A wise client of ours referred to something he called The Paradox of Power, which says that “the more you give away, the more power you have.”
A powerful meeting leader:
Doesn’t compete for airtime
Listens actively to every voice
Prevents defensive or dismissive behaviour
Uses everyone in the room, not just the usual contributors
Keeps energy high and expectations clear
This creates the conditions for psychological safety, a predictor of high-performing teams. It also ensures that the right people are in the room – those who can contribute meaningfully to the meeting’s purpose.
CPR: The Beating Heart of Every Effective Meeting
Every meeting operates on three levels:
Content – What we’re discussing: papers, ideas, information
Process – How we’re discussing it: agenda, ground rules, flow
Relationships – How we’re engaging: tone, inclusion, trust
Most meetings over-index on one and neglect the others. For example:
Heavy on content = long, dull, disengaging
Heavy on process = efficient but sterile
Heavy on relationships = warm but unproductive
Great meetings do all three.
Ask yourself: Do our meetings need CPR? If they’re flatlining, this might be the resuscitation they need.
The Hidden Cost of Poor Meetings
Consider this simple exercise:
List all recurring meetings in your team.
Estimate how many hours per week are spent in these.
Survey attendees: What percentage of that time feels useful?
Multiply the wasted time by average hourly salaries.
You might be shocked at the hidden financial cost.
Now ask: Could those hours be used more effectively elsewhere?
Spring Cleaning Your Meeting Culture
Old habits die hard. That’s why it’s worth auditing your meeting culture. Some ideas to try:
Cancel all recurring meetings for a month – then reintroduce only the ones people truly miss.
Make meetings optional and observe who still turns up.
Create FAQs, dashboards or shared boards as alternatives to update meetings.
Schedule social time deliberately instead of letting it spill into business meetings.
Politely decline meetings that don’t need your presence – or send a delegate.
Final Thoughts: Meetings Are a Mirror of Culture
Meetings don’t just reflect how you do business, they shape it.
Done well, they build clarity, trust, action, and belonging. Done badly, they damage morale, productivity, and your reputation as a leader.
Use meetings to lead by example. Use them to show your team what good looks like. And above all, remember this: If connection is the heartbeat of your organisation, then your meetings are its pulse.
Practical Takeaways
Be clear on purpose: decide, plan, educate, solve, or connect
Stick to a tight agenda, sent in advance
Answer the four key attendee questions in every session
Empower others – don’t dominate
Balance content, process, and relationships (CPR)
Audit your meeting culture and make deliberate changes
Repurposing Strategy: Extend the Life and Reach of Your Webinar
Here are five concrete ways to repurpose your webinar content for UK-based professionals across digital platforms:
LinkedIn Carousel or Post Series
Break the “Four Questions Every Meeting Should Answer” into a 4-part carousel. Each slide focuses on one question with a practical tip. Invite audience discussion by asking, “Which of these gets overlooked most in your meetings?”Email Newsletter Feature
Include a short version of the CPR model and invite readers to do a self-audit. Title: “Do Your Meetings Need CPR?” Link to a longer blog or downloadable tool.Instagram or YouTube Shorts
Create a 60-second talking head video or animation around “Meeting Spring Cleaning Tips.” Ideal for reels or TikToks. Focus on one clear tip at a time.Interactive Polls or Quizzes
Use LinkedIn or Instagram stories to ask questions like: “How many hours do you spend in meetings each week?” or “What % of your meetings feel productive?” Share results with follow-up commentary.SlideShare or Google Docs Resource
Design a downloadable “Meeting Effectiveness Checklist” or “Pre-Meeting Planner” using the Do/Don’t list and CPR model. Promote it on your website and LinkedIn to capture leads or offer it as part of a leadership toolkit.