How to avoid unproductive meetings: 9 tips for busy teams

After 13 years of working in content and marketing departments across various industries, and spending the last five managing a small team of my own, I've come to a conclusion: Nothing drains productivity like a meeting that should have been an email.

I've worked with teams spread across multiple countries and time zones. I've joined calls before sunrise, sat through late-evening video conferences, and attended meetings where half the attendees contributed nothing while silently answering emails in another browser tab. (At various points, I have been one of them.)

When your team is scattered across the world, time becomes one of your most valuable resources. Every unnecessary meeting doesn't just waste an hour. It interrupts work, delays decision-making, and sucks time from people who could be doing something far more useful.

Over the years, I've developed a pretty simple philosophy: fewer meetings, better meetings. Here's how I try to make this happen.

Key takeaways

• Not every issue requires a meeting

• Invite only people who have a clear role in the discussion

• Share objectives and preparation requirements in advance

• Always use an agenda with clear outcomes

• Keep conversations focused on the objective

• Record decisions and actions during the meeting

• Shorter meetings are often more effective

• Every meeting should end with clear responsibilities and next steps

Before you schedule a meeting, ask yourself: Does this actually need to be a meeting?

I don't think we ask ourselves this question nearly often enough.

I've seen people organise 60-minute meetings to discuss something that could have been resolved with three Teams messages and a thumbs-up emoji.

What to ask yourself before sending out a meeting invite:

• Is a decision required?

• Do multiple people need to discuss this in real time?

• Could this be handled through email or a shared document?

• Am I scheduling a meeting simply because it's easier than writing a clear message?

(That last question is often the most revealing.)

If you're a visual person, use this flow chart to see if you even need a meeting.

Stop inviting people "Just in case"

We've all been there haven't we? Fifteen attendees. Two people talking. Thirteen wondering why they're there.

I'm 100% guilty of this myself - bear with me here, i'm trying to change! You don't want anyone to feel left out, so you add a few extra names to the invite.

The result? Longer discussions, slower decisions, and a lot of polite nodding.

Who to invite to your next meeting:

• Anyone who needs to make a decision

• Anyone with expertise that's relevant to the topic

• The person or persons who need to take action afterwards

• Those who are directly affected by the outcome

Everyone else can receive the notes and believe me, they will thank you for it.

Don't expect people to prepare without direction

Nobody enjoys that moment where they're unexpectedly asked for an opinion and suddenly forget every thought they've ever had. 

I realise that a lot of meetings lose momentum before they even start because people arrive unprepared or unaware that they have to contribute.

If you need someone to review documents, provide updates or share expertise, tell them ahead of time.  

Here's what you should include in a meeting invitation:

• The objective
• What we're trying to decide
• Any documents that need reviewing
• Specific questions that need answering

It's amazing how much more productive meetings become when people have had ten minutes to think before joining the call.

If there's no agenda, I'm already suspicious

Without an agenda, meetings have a habit of wandering off into strange and unexpected territory. You start discussing a project launch and end up debating the ideal temperature the office thermostat should be at.

An agenda doesn't have to be complicated; in fact, a simple one is usually better.

What to include in your meeting agenda:

• Objective

• Discussion points

• Owners for each topic

• Time allocated

• Desired outcome

I like to use this meeting agenda template to get organised.

Start on time. End on time

It can be tempting to wait a few minutes for late arrivals before getting started, but in my experience, starting on time sets the right expectation. It signals that everyone's schedule is valued and that the meeting has a clear purpose.

The same applies to ending on time.

We've all had meetings that were scheduled for 30 minutes and somehow turned into 45. Occasionally, that's unavoidable, but it shouldn't become the norm. If more discussion is needed, schedule a follow-up instead of keeping everyone longer than expected.

I find that the easiest way to build goodwill with your team is to give them time back. Finishing a few minutes early might not sound like much, but when people are juggling deadlines, projects, back-to-back calls and personal commitments, those extra minutes are often appreciated.

Keep the discussion on track

Every meeting has that moment.

The agenda is moving along nicely, decisions are being made, and then someone says:

"While we're all here..."

Sometimes that leads to a valuable discussion. More often, it opens the door to a completely different topic that deserves its own conversation.

I've learned that one of the most important roles of a meeting leader is helping the group stay focused on why everyone joined the meeting in the first place.

If a useful but unrelated topic comes up, park it and return to it later. This  way, important topics aren't forgotten, but they also don't derail the meeting.

Capture decisions while they happen

Another thing I've learned is that people's memories become surprisingly flexible when meetings end. Three people can leave the same call with completely different understandings of what was agreed.

Assigning a note taker to document actions during the meeting helps to reduce confusion and ensures accountability.

Below are items I like to document during meetings

• Decisions made

• Actions agreed

• Responsible owners

• Deadlines 

Schedule shorter meetings

Just because Outlook suggests 30 minutes doesn't mean you need 30 minutes.

Ask yourself:

• Can this be resolved in 15 minutes?
• Can attendees review information beforehand?
• Does everyone need to remain for the full session?

I feel that shorter meetings create healthy pressure and help people come prepared, stay focused, and get to the point faster.

Never end without determining your next steps

I've been in loads of meetings where the conversation was great, everyone seemed aligned, and then the call ended without anyone being entirely sure what was supposed to happen next.

To avoid this, I try to use the last few minutes to quickly recap the essentials:

• What did we decide?
• Who's taking ownership of what?
• Are there any deadlines we need to agree on?
• Do we genuinely need another meeting, or can we move things forward another way?

A couple of minutes is often enough to make sure everyone leaves with the same understanding. Even better,  send out an email to recap the meeting and keep projects moving without the need for endless follow-up messages trying to piece everything together afterwards. 

Meeting productivity checklist 

Before the meeting

• Confirm a meeting is genuinely necessary

• Keep the attendee list tight

• Send an agenda

• Share any pre-reading

• Clarify expectations

During the meeting

• Start on time

• Stick to the agenda

• Keep conversations focused

• Record decisions

• Assign actions and owners

After the meeting

• Share notes promptly

• Confirm responsibilities

• Follow up on actions

• Only schedule another meeting if absolutely necessary

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