Tiring and unproductive meetings? See management tips to improve this

Meetings are necessary, but they are subject to much criticism from teams, as they are often long and unproductive.

Here is a selection of our favorite management tips for running effective meetings.

Also read: Meetings are not work, says Southwest Airlines CEO, and he will cut commitments

Prepare to lead an emotionally charged meeting

Here’s how to keep your feet on the ground and conduct high-stakes conversations with clarity and composure.

— Preview the meeting in advance. Imagine the environment, the people and how you want to feel when you leave. Mentally rehearsing how you will open the discussion will deal with tension and lead to resolution. Anticipate challenges and plan calm, confident responses.

— Reframe your mindset. Before the meeting, reflect on what you appreciate about the people involved or the good results that could come from the conversation. This small change strengthens emotional resilience and helps you approach the interaction with empathy and clarity.

— Adjust the format. Use the five questions — who, what, where, when and why — to fine-tune logistics.

— Include time off. Take 10 minutes before the meeting to focus and 10 minutes afterward to compose yourself. A brief walk or quiet time can help maintain composure and avoid carrying stress into the next interaction.

Avoid meeting hangovers in your team

A bad meeting doesn’t end when the call drops — it persists, draining team productivity and morale. To avoid these “meeting hangovers,” focus on five key strategies.

1. Don’t dominate, facilitate. Encourage participation by letting team members drive relevant agenda items. Structure discussions to ensure everyone has a voice.

2. Reduce the list of participants. Invite only those who are essential to the discussion. If someone doesn’t need to be present, ask for input before the meeting or send a summary afterward.

3. Transform agendas into action plans. Frame agenda items as specific questions that lead to decisions. Clear, action-oriented topics keep meetings efficient.

4. Make every minute count — and don’t overrun your schedule. Set meetings for the shortest duration necessary. Sticking to the agenda and finishing on time helps you stay focused and reduces frustration.

5. Demand accountability. Assign those responsible for each action and clarify the next steps before the meeting ends.

Increase team participation in meetings

Start by clarifying expectations. Outline the supportive behaviors you want to see in meetings. For example, you might say, “As a team, we support each other, face challenges together, and communicate constructively.”

Model these behaviors yourself and celebrate when team members do the same.

It’s also helpful to offer different forms of input—for example, allowing written contributions before, during, or after meetings. And consider rotating facilitation among all team members to give everyone a chance to lead. Giving a structured role to those who tend to speak less can help empower them to speak up.

Adjust hybrid meetings that are having issues

As a manager, know how to improve your team’s meetings in this hybrid world.

— Treat meetings as an important part of company culture. What meeting culture do you want for your team? Determine best practices and define roles and responsibilities.

— Identify and invest in meeting leaders. Running effective meetings is a skill, and like any skill, it can be cultivated and strengthened. Recent research shows that 54% of all meetings are led by just 10% of employees. Training aimed at this group of “power users” can help promote a healthier meeting culture within your team.

— Leverage data. One of the advantages of virtual meetings is that they generate data that offers relevant insights into productivity, engagement, and even retention — so use it.

Use curiosity to keep your meetings on track

If your meetings are chronically disengaging, it might be time to introduce curiosity to the agenda to keep people focused and everything on track.

First, direct the team’s attention to identifying the problem you are there to solve. Instead of doing it for them, ask everyone in the room to define the purpose of the meeting in one sentence. Clarifying a collective mission early helps align the team and reduces confusion or irrelevant misdirection.

Then, let your employees speak. Show curiosity, ask others’ opinions before sharing yours, and listen actively. This is a powerful way to engage and empower people.

Finally, offer feedback — but avoid judgmental language. If you’re not sure about an idea, investigate. Simply saying “tell me more” is a non-judgmental way to express curiosity and keep the meeting moving.

Making Bad Meetings Better

How to improve meetings when you are not the one leading them?

The best time to intervene is usually before the meeting even takes place. Reach out to the organizer to ask if there is an agenda, relevant materials that can be shared in advance, or anything you can do to help with preparation.

During a meeting that is going off topic, you can take the initiative and get the conversation back on track. Resume the agenda, if there is one. If there isn’t, speak up to clarify the purpose of the meeting, then point out when the conversation seems off-topic.

After the meeting, look for the organizer to compare notes and clarify next steps and who is responsible for them. This will ensure follow-up.

Executives: rethink your one-on-one meetings

Instead of promoting alignment, too many one-on-one meetings often create fragmentation, silo thinking, and trust issues. It’s time to change how you use meeting time.

— Use one-on-one meetings for development, not operations. Hold these meetings quarterly and dedicate them to career growth and feedback — not tactical updates. Set aside 90-minute sessions focused on leadership objectives, not project status.

— Shift decision-making to capabilities meetings. Identify five to seven core capabilities of your organization—such as innovation or customer experience—and hold recurring meetings with relevant cross-functional leaders. This ensures strategic clarity and faster, more aligned execution.

— Get the right people in the room. Save yourself the trouble of updating others later. Capabilities meetings bring decision makers together at the right time, so alignment happens in real time, not retroactively.

— Free up the executive team’s time. When capabilities meetings take care of cross-functional work, the entire executive team can focus on business strategy and long-term priorities rather than reenacting decisions made in other forums. Focus executive meeting agendas on questions like “What are the few topics that require the full weight of this team?” or “Where does our system need realignment?”