Alert: Acute meetingitis.

Ah, the meeting... the meeting, the stand-up, the project committee... whatever name we give it, we say it's unifying, necessary, essential for moving things forward.

But let's be honest , that's not always the case.

We have all experienced these meetings:

• Without a defined agenda.

• Without announcing the subject in advance.

• With participants who don't know why they are there or what is expected of them.

• Where the organizer monopolizes the discussion without consultation.

• And without reporting, so we talk again the following week... about the same subjects.

Result: 1 to 1.5 hours wasted, with no real production, to the detriment of what you were hired for. And in an already busy day, these meetings become more of a burden than a lever.

The only point of these poorly structured meetings? To create connections. But there are other possibilities , smarter and more effective.

Should all meetings be cancelled?

No. But in a working world where time optimization is a lever for performance , it becomes urgent to demonstrate pragmatism and structure .

A meeting becomes necessary when…

• You need to disseminate a large amount of information to a group.

• You are facing a problem that requires collective intelligence.

• You need to gather individual and collective positions on a given situation.

And for it to be effective? A few simple rules:

• Define the purpose of the meeting.

• Select only those people who are relevant to the topic.

• Prepare a precise and timed schedule.

• Send the invitation with:

  Collective and individual expectations.

  The detailed agenda.

  Useful documents (previous report, working elements, etc.).

• Allow time for:

  Prepare your speech (arguments, support).

  Write and send a clear report within 48 hours.

Meetings & time management: an equation to review.

A one-hour meeting… is often double the preparation time .

If you have more than 3 meetings a day, ask yourself:

• What was your real contribution today?

• Where is your added value in these sequences?

Too many meetings make no sense :

• Nor for the employee (fatigue, loss of meaning).

• Nor for the company (loss of time, productivity, budget).

  
  

Dear enlightened rebels , the next time you schedule or accept a meeting, ask yourself the right questions.

What if you dared to reduce to move forward better ?