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In the corporate world, meetings are a way of life. From lunch round-ups to catch-up sessions, and from team huddles to brainstorming meets, despite all the creativity exercised in their christening, these meetings are a constant source of irritation for many. A quick check with someone of my peers and I learnt that people around me spend nearly forty percent of their working hours in meetings, and all of them (not a single exception, mind you) believe that meetings hamper their productivity. So then, are meetings really a colossal waste of productive corporate hours? And is there something we can do to rid the meetings WE schedule of this notoriety?

The answer perhaps lies in very reasons that have earned the M-word its infamy. The first being that they hardly ever lead to any concrete outcomes. In fact many believe that the only action point that ever emerges from most meetings is yet another meeting. Some believe that a well-documented agenda and expectations document is the solution. But is that enough?

Often it is not the absence of an agenda, but the hijacking of it that derails a meeting. Be it a senior leader who believes that the group’s time would be better spent in listening to her/ him, or a bunch of passionate attendees who get sucked into an undesired debate and are too proud to concede, the poor agenda faces risks from multiple quarters. And it is but the prerogative of the one chairing the meeting to ensure that it remains on track at all times. This might even call for curt interjections, which can be managed without stepping on peoples’ toes through careful articulation and some practice.

The other complain people have from meetings is that they rarely start and end on time. This is more a cultural issue, indicating a lack of sensitivity for others’ time and commitments. We might or might not be able to influence the organizational culture as a whole, but we can certainly infuse some seriousness into the meetings scheduled by us. Starting, with or without all required attendees, and ending them on time might call for some additional efforts initially – like, the need to bring the absentees up the curve separately – but promises rich dividends subsequently. Over the medium term, it establishes the seriousness with which we approach our meetings, prompting others – irrespective of their ranks – to follow suit.

Lastly, it is not just enough to get one’s own house in order. We must also be prepared to extend the same courtesies to others that we expect from them. Walking into meetings with the required preparation, adhering to schedule and sending cancellation or rescheduling requests in advance are some habits that can be adapted immediately to set us on course for rescuing ‘meetings’ from their slanderous existence.

NUGGET: Meetings at the workplace are often seen as a colossal waste of productive time. However, this can be corrected through some simple and easy hacks, reinstating their utility and efficacy in our professional lives.

First Published in Suburb Life Magazine, January 2018 ISSUE