The Simple Formula for a More Effective Meeting
It could be said the bane of Western business culture is sitting through more meetings than you can count.
Professional meetings. Volunteer meetings. Religious meetings. Ceremonial meetings. Add to all those, the informal in-person, on the phone, and now endlessly online meetings.
And despite all that time spent discussing matters in these various meetings, you’ve probably left many of them wondering what, if anything, was actually accomplished.
I know I have.
Often, even when there’s an agenda, meetings drift. The person leading it goes off on a tangent, or worse, allows someone else to hijack the room. Before long, a meeting meant to solve one problem becomes a free-for-all of loosely related opinions, updates, and distractions.
That’s not just inefficient. It’s costly.
What Makes a Meeting Effective?
Effective meetings are simple; not easy, but simple.
If the purpose of a meeting is to discuss two budget items, it should not turn into a two-hour discussion about the holiday party, a logo redesign, or office gossip about promotions and firings.
Whenever possible, having a written agenda is a must. Agendas can have multiple items, listed in some organized manner, but each item must stand on its own. When a meeting exists to address a single issue with key stakeholders, protect that focus relentlessly.
The Question Most People Never Ask
A helpful question when deciding whether to hold a meeting, along with who should attend, is this:
“What is the most pressing problem that is bringing us together?”
If you can’t answer that clearly, the meeting probably shouldn’t happen.
The (Only) Three Questions That Matter
When planning an agenda, and while conducting the meeting itself, reduce everything to these three questions:
What is the most pressing problem we are facing?
What are the viable solutions to that problem?
Who is responsible for executing the chosen solution?
That’s it.
Most meetings fail not because people are lazy or incompetent, but because they never clearly identify the problem, or they stop short of assigning ownership.
Ask yourself: How many meetings have you attended where those three questions were never fully answered?
How did those meetings go?
Did you leave energized—or quietly resentful about the time you lost?
A Practical Challenge
If your agendas seem bloated or your meetings feel unfocused, try this:
Strip each agenda item down to the above three questions.
Do not move on until all three are addressed.
If certain stakeholders are present but cannot meaningfully participate, that’s a signal. Split the agenda, or split the meeting, so you’re not wasting time, energy and/or attention.
If you can’t identify someone to execute the solution, table the item and return to it soon. It may simply mean the right person wasn’t in the room.
And if you can’t decide between solutions, choose a direction.
Action precedes clarity.
You can always adjust, but you cannot refine a decision you never make.
The Question You Cannot Avoid
The most important question is the first one I asked at the beginning of this article.
If you’re unwilling to clearly identify the most pressing problem facing your organization or team, expect confusion at best and volatile, negative responses at worst.
Meetings don’t drift accidentally. They drift because no one is willing to anchor them to what actually matters.
My mission is to help individuals and organizations improve communication and resolve conflict effectively. If this resonates with you, or if someone in your organization could use help bringing clarity and focus to critical conversations, I’d be glad to help.
If you or leaders in your organization like what I’m sharing, that’s great! Feel free to pass it along.
I help organizations and individuals develop improved communication skills that can lead to positive transformation and less conflict.
If you’re interested in working with me or you know someone who might be interested in working with me, feel free to reach out.