Meetings can spring up from almost anywhere. Your team might need you to review the sales pipeline and then you may spend the afternoon talking through a client’s next merch program. Meetings keep everyone connected, but too many of them can bog everyone down and leave little time to sell.

Ted Kitterman of Great Place to Work says meetings are one of the most visible manifestations of your company culture. This is why they’re worth fixing rather than just letting endless meetings become the norm.

How can you make meetings more useful without filling your calendar to the brim? Read on. In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we share Kitterman’s tips for creating a healthier meeting culture.

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  1. Create a safe way to flag bad meetings. You need visibility into the meetings that aren’t performing, Kitterman says. Consider launching an email inbox or Slack channel where staff members can submit meetings for review. Just beware of bias — meeting organizers tend to optimize meetings for themselves rather than attendees.

  2. Measure meetings with objective metrics. You could, for example, poll attendees on whether they got value from a meeting. But new sources of data, like analytics from email or calendar apps, are even more objective. These can show how often employees are double booked, raising the question of whether it’s for performative or logistical reasons.

  3. Define what deserves a meeting. Think through the purpose of a meeting at your organization. Ketterman points out that challenging norms can identify misused time. For example, if the less-senior people in meetings tend to get less air time in meetings, invite them to speak first.

  4. Build guardrails for AI use in meetings. AI can help in meetings when teams use it to automate tasks like notetaking, scheduling and following up. Ketterman says it’s always helpful at helping advise meeting organizers with data like speaking time. However, just don’t let it feed lazy habits. For example, you shouldn’t send an AI notetaker to ma meeting instead of fixing poor meeting hygiene.

  5. Address the status divide for remote/hybrid teams. When some people are in the room and others are remote, there are natural fault lines. Great workplaces close them with intentional practices, Ketterman says. You could, for example, ask remote participants to speak first or pair remote staff members with an on-site person who could ensure their voice is heard.

Meetings are part of work but they don’t have to take over the workday. Give your team permission to question unnecessary meetings and measure what’s actually useful. Your sales reps might just thank you for giving them some time back.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Ted Kitterman is a content manager for Great Place To Work.