Have you heard of the word meetingitis? It's the extensive urge to conduct unnecessary meetings. Meetings are essential to set the direction, draw action plans, and solve problems. But whenever there are unnecessary meetings, people get frustrated, work does not get done, and eventually, the team morale falls. The three Ws—the "What," "Who," and "When" of meetings—are designed to focus the team on a specific and narrow scope.
What
"What" stands for the meeting agenda. In every meeting, having a clear agenda is crucial. Without it, conversations tend to veer off track, leading to unproductivity. Unproductive meetings cost businesses an estimated $37 billion annually. By ensuring that meetings have a well-defined purpose, teams can stay focused, streamline discussions, and make decisions efficiently. Transitioning from two-hour sessions to concise 15-minute meetings is achievable with a structured agenda.
Who
International meetings statistics report unveils an intriguing insight: 55% of workers engage in multitasking during virtual meetings. As one person presents, others are occupied with tasks like composing emails or drafting blog posts. Often, these multitaskers may not be essential participants in the meeting. This is where the second W—"Who"—comes into play. Only those who must be present should be invited to the meeting. And all those who are invited to a meeting should have a role to play. The smaller the crowd, the more fruitful the meeting. This reduces unwanted opinions and sidetracking.
When we invite only the right people for the meeting, we avoid confusion or unnecessary discussions, and the session concludes on time. This approach also entails fewer participants, ultimately leading to a more efficient use of time.
When
"When" refers to the time frame in which the actionable items would be completed. It is crucial that any action points discussed are time-bound and actionable.
Zippia research reveals that survey respondents find 71% of meetings to be unproductive. One key factor for this comes down to a lack of follow-up. Ensuring each action plan is completed aligns the team with the overall objectives, and this translates into measurable outcomes.
The bottom line
In short, whenever you have a meeting, just have clarity on who is going to do what by when.
Trivia
Do you know that Zoho Cliq meetings are AI-powered? Thanks to this functionality, meetings in Zoho Cliq provide helpful summaries and action plans. You can record the meetings, too. Try your next team meeting by applying the 3Ws using Zoho Cliq!
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