What makes a meeting 'good': the road to fewer, better meetings

In a world where distributed workforces and flexible hours are becoming the norm, meetings are a vital management tool to keep teams aligned, make decisions and build relationships. However, poorly-run or unnecessary meetings can cost companies time and resources, affecting productivity and efficiency. Research shows that employees spend an average of 31 hours per month in unproductive meetings. The burning question is, what makes a meeting good, and why does it matter?

Defining a 'good' meeting

A good meeting, put simply, is one that accomplishes its objectives within the allotted time. Three key characteristics of effective meetings have emerged from research:

1. Clearly defined objectives: According to a research from MIT Sloan, clearly defined meeting objectives contribute to enhanced outcomes and increased participant satisfaction.
2. Efficient use of time: Respect for punctuality is crucial, with strict start and end times resulting in more focused discussions.
3. Active engagement: Meetings shouldn't be monologues. Research stresses the importance of active participation in discussions, fostering idea generation and increasing collaboration outside of meetings. If an attendee is only there to listen, that’s a waste of the individual’s time.

Recognizing when to have meetings

A well-defined rule set can come in handy when deciding the need for a meeting. Meetings provide the best value when immediate collaborative feedback is necessary, or when fostering collaboration and strengthening team relationships. They also come into play when decisions need to be made collectively, enhancing decision quality and speedy execution.

Embracing asynchronous communication

Sometimes, meetings are not the answer. When the goal is to share updates or feedback, particularly in scenarios where a discussion is not necessary, asynchronous updates are the way forward. Rewatch's screen recorder allows this to easily happen, empowering collaborators to quickly record themselves, their screen, or both and upload the video to a collaborative hub. This feature centralizes all team updates along with meeting recordings, making it easy for team members to consume information at their convenience. This allows for knowledge sharing while respecting individual work patterns.

Saying no to unnecessary meetings

Unproductive or redundant meetings can eat up precious work hours. Chronic offenders are recurring meetings without a clear purpose and meetings that could be substituted with an email or a quick one-on-one chat.

Meetings without a clear purpose frequently happen because of poor data-keeping from previous meetings. By keeping track of AI-generated meeting notes and decisions in a central hub like Rewatch's, teams can avoid unnecessary meetings. This will also help you identify recurring issues that need to be addressed, which can then be resolved through more impactful one-on-one chats or necessary, strategic meetings.

By recording every necessary meeting and adding it to a central hub like Rewatch, teams also empower individuals to skip meetings if they are only attending to get the information. Instead, those team members can catch up on the meeting through an AI-generated recap or by watching the recording.

The solidifying effect of Rewatch on good meetings

Rewatch promotes good meetings by emphasizing asynchronous communication where possible, allowing teams to safeguard their valuable time for high-impact tasks. Leveraging AI for meeting notes, intuitive screen recording, and consolidation of all updates within its video hub, Rewatch ensures that every meeting counts.

Simplify, consolidate, achieve

The key to good meetings isn't simply organizing fewer meetings but organizing effective ones. Recognizing when to hold, convert, or skip meetings can drastically enhance team productivity, giving them the gift of time. Tools like Rewatch offer smart solutions for cutting down unnecessary meetings, promoting effective communication, and increasing alignment within teams.

So, here is a compelling idea to kickstart your journey towards smarter work habits: Skip your next meeting and give time back to your team. Try Rewatch for free and dive headfirst into a world of less meeting and more doing.