This Meeting Could Have Been an Email

With the shift to a digital workplace these last couple years, virtual meetings have become the norm. Without having to worry about a meeting location, catering preferences, drive time, or road conditions, meetings became easier. Easy meetings soon became meeting more often, which turned into meeting too often. People started to dread meetings, even if they could attend from the comforts of home.

We’ve become a much savvier meeting attendee. We know that attending more meetings doesn’t translate to an increase in productivity. We are more likely to question the need to attend a meeting when there is work to be done. So, how do we determine when a meeting really is necessary?

Use these 5 questions to determine if a meeting is truly needed.

1. Can you name the key topics? Having a clear idea about the topics is a good sign that you might need a meeting. It is when the topics are unclear, even for a monthly staff meeting, that a meeting may not be necessary.
2. Who will participate? Lots of people can attend a meeting but naming the people who really need to participate in the discussion, is a clear indicator that meeting is needed. Any uncertainty about who should attend, or feeling like someone ‘might be interested’, points to no meeting needed.
3. What is the purpose of the meeting? Does the meeting have a clearly defined goal or set of objectives? If the purpose is clear, then proceed with a meeting. If the purpose is unclear, or more about getting ‘caught up’, its likely a meeting isn’t required.
4. What level of participation is expected from attendees? If a robust discussion is needed to make a decision, that’s an excellent sign to proceed with a meeting. If participants will be listening to presentation without contributing, then circulating reports by email will save everyone the boredom of another meeting.
5. Could a potential agenda item be handled using another method? If a decision can be handled by email or team chat, keep it simple and skip the meeting.

Don’t schedule or attend a meeting without the right rationale.

Running through these 5 questions will help to ease the stress of feeling we need to attend every meeting. When we can begin to differentiate between the reasons to meet, and the reasons not to meet, we become more focused. We can justify our decision to decline a meeting invitation and we can spend our time working to achieve our goals.  

The next time the urge to call a meeting pops up, or the next time a meeting invitation feels like it doesn’t apply, run through the 5 questions and better gauge if that meeting is truly necessary.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ideas. If you know someone who needs to read this, why not grab the link, and share it with them. Let’s work together to end the cycle of attending every meeting.

-Christie

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Hi, I'm Christie Saas, former board member, current Executive Director, and non-profit volunteer. I remember well, those early years when I lacked the training, the confidence, and the work-life balance to focus on becoming the best non-profit leader I could be.

Fast-forward past many bumps in the road, lessons learned, and you’ll find me still in the trenches, but a little wiser, a little calmer, and a whole lot happier. I love my work and I want to help you love yours too.

I created ChristieSaas.com so non-profit leaders never need to feel alone. I’m here to help. If you’re a brand-new non-profit leader, or a little more seasoned, someone who’s looking to make a meaningful contribution and still have time for a full life away from the job, you’re in the right place.

© Christie Saas 2022 All Rights Reserved

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