Nobody likes meetings.
Well, except that one manager or client or employee who seems to enjoy living on Zoom or sitting at the head of the table.
Truth is, while it’s easy to say meetings are bad, it’s harder to cut them out of your schedule.
And convincing an entire team that most meetings are a waste of time is harder still.
How to know if a meeting is worth it
Here’s a fun (and logical) system for cutting out meetings:
- Calculate the average hourly rate of everyone in attendance.
- Multiply that rate by the length of the meeting.
- Voilà. Now, you’ve got the meeting cost.
Once you’ve got the cost – say, $2,000 – you can bring it to the people involved and ask if it’s a meeting worth $2,000.
In many cases, it isn’t.
It can be done over email, there might be fewer people needed in attendance… All sorts of other, less-expensive options.
You can also use this calculation to negotiate the length of a meeting.
If a meeting is scheduled for two hours but it’s only worth $500, see if you can convince the team to make it an hour instead.
It’s not just about the money
Of course, there are other factors to consider when evaluating whether a meeting is necessary – like building relationships and fostering collaboration.
But if you want to make a case for why meetings are often unnecessary, the monetary cost is a good place to start.
Other factors to consider when deciding whether or not to have a meeting include:
- The purpose of the meeting (is it to brainstorm, make decisions, etc?)
- Who needs to be in attendance?
- How long will the meeting need to be?
- Can the meeting be done over email, video conference, or another format?
- What is the expected outcome of the meeting?
Keep these factors in mind the next time you’re asked to attend a meeting, and you’ll be able to make a more informed decision about whether or not it’s worth your time.
Bonus tip
The reverse of this framework is often used in marketing.
For example, instead of telling someone your product costs $4, it often boosts conversion to say it’s the price of a coffee. It’s the exact same psychological principle, just reversed.
Now get out there and enjoy a nice, meeting-free day!
