Meeting productivity

A productive meeting has a purpose that needs people together, the right participants and a usable result. Before booking, ask what must change because it happens. If everyone needs the same update, a written update may serve better.

Choose the work before choosing the meeting

Name the intended result in the invitation: a decision, a resolved blocker, a workable plan, feedback on a draft, or a conversation that benefits from live exchange. Then ask whether people must respond to one another at the same time to reach it.

A status report with no discussion can usually be read at a suitable time. A disagreement over two workable options may benefit from a live conversation when answers will change those options. A sensitive one-to-one conversation calls for different judgement from a routine project update.

If essential information or the person authorised to decide will be missing, change the preparation or timing. Holding the session anyway may leave the same choice for another day.

When to use a meeting vs. written update

Design the smallest useful session

Tell invitees the expected outcome, what to read or bring, and how they will contribute. Invite people who can make the decision or supply knowledge needed in the discussion. Share the result afterwards with affected colleagues who did not need to attend.

Put the live questions first. Background that people can read beforehand need not take up most of the session. For a decision meeting, state the choice, available options, constraints and decision-maker. For a working session, state what participants will produce together.

Allow enough time for the task, then end when its purpose is met. If discussion reveals a critical fact is missing, name who will obtain it and when the decision will resume.

Designing a smallest useful session

Make the result visible

Before closing, restate what was decided or produced. Distinguish a final decision from a recommendation awaiting approval. Record actions with owners and dates, plus material conditions or open questions. Put the result where affected colleagues can find it.

A meeting can be useful without a final decision. It may leave clearer options or an agreed investigation. Say what changed and what happens next.

Use a shared page to guide the discussion

A page-led meeting uses a written document setting out the context, meeting goals and key decisions. Share the page in the invitation, then begin with a quiet pre-read and refer to it as discussion progresses.

Keep the page focused on information needed for the session. Written communication can sharpen thinking and reveal gaps in shared understanding before they derail a discussion. It can also keep hybrid and virtual participants aligned around the same material.

Invite participants to add comments as they read. This gives another way to contribute, can make discussion more inclusive and helps prevent the loudest voice in the room from being the only one heard.

Use the page as a working record: facilitate from it, document decisions and share outcomes there. Screen sharing and a digital collaboration tool can help participants follow and contribute to the same material, including when joining remotely.

Pre-meeting preparation checklist

Make hybrid participation deliberate

Choose the format with the interaction in mind. Brainstorming can benefit from being in person because non-verbal cues help people take turns and feel safe sharing ideas; a hybrid session can make it easier to include someone who would otherwise be unavailable.

Give remote participants a way to prepare and contribute. For a brainstorm, send a pre-read and idea-generating exercises in advance, and let people submit ideas by video or in writing.

Check that everyone can use the shared tools during the session. For example, Microsoft recommends positioning a camera so participants can see the whiteboard and using Whiteboard in Teams as a shared space for writing, drawing and sharing images or emojis. A dedicated note taker can capture ideas and insights.

Hybrid meetings: pros and cons

Treat meeting format as something to test

Attendees were 29% more likely to feel energised and 23% less likely to feel frustrated than the control group. In all, 85% of page-led meetings achieved their goal, compared with 69% of control meetings.

Meeting effectiveness: page-led vs. control meetings

Review the format

For a recurring session, compare its purpose with recent outcomes and ask participants whether the format and cadence still help. Attendance, meeting count and minutes saved are limited signals: a shorter calendar can conceal missed decisions or more work in messages.

If a meeting mainly distributes information, try an agreed update route and check that questions still reach an owner. If a useful discussion often lacks preparation, improve the invitation. Keep a meeting when its live purpose remains valuable, including connection and support.

Tell affected people what will change, who owns the new route and when it will be reviewed. Judge the change by whether the work still moves forward with acceptable quality.

Reviewing recurring meetings