The magic number for meetings may be just 15

From the senior executive, frontline manager and project leader, to the experienced accountant, marketing coordinator and human resources specialist, few people would admit they like the meeting mania they experience week in, week out.

Most workers know how meetings play out.

They march into a room and a few colleagues dominate the conversation while others think about lunch or the weekend.

Those present can’t help but envy the participants logged in remotely, suspecting they are sneakily catching up on emails to escape the senseless chitter-chatter that takes place in the room as the meeting drags on.

The cost of long meetings

Meetings have their place and can improve communication and decision-making, especially when they are led by a skilled chair.

But the majority recognise we have far too many of them and they end up being a major drain on workplace productivity, particularly when the default meeting time is an hour, regardless of what needs to be covered.

A back-of-the-envelope calculation will demonstrate the true cost of longer meetings. A single one-hour meeting for eight people is the equivalent of a full working day for one person.

There is a way to make workplace gatherings more efficient and productive: replace the default one-hour or 30-minute gathering with a new norm — the 15-minute meeting.

Those advocating for a 15-minute regime say it should be the standard for any workplace.

They say filling the day with hour-long meetings is unnecessary and wasteful, and has created the “professional meeting goer”. These are the people who spend their entire day moving from one meeting to the next without actually doing anything of substance.

Why keeping it brief is best

Supporters of the 15-minute format suggest the briefer timeslot allows workers to focus on important points and prevents key messages from getting lost in conversation. They recommend against overloading an agenda and resisting the temptation to crowbar in matters that require a “deep dive”.

Also important is the need to refrain from overpopulating meetings with colleagues who do not need to be there.

Having too many people at the table, they say, will dilute a meeting’s efficiency.

Providing materials in advance so team members can prepare will improve efficiency and productivity, as will appointing a timekeeper to keep team members on track.

Also recommended is the practice of batching meetings back-to-back.

Interspersing them with 15-minute breaks can be counterproductive as meetings often extend beyond the allotted time when people know they can extend discussions into what appears to be unallocated time.

A single one-hour meeting for eight people is the equivalent of a full working day for one person.

The upshot of less time spent in meetings is less stress, a reduced incidence of burnout and more productivity.

While most workplaces will never get to the point where longish meetings disappear completely from daily diaries, it is worth considering whether — with a change of mindset — more of those longer meetings can be cut back to just 15 minutes.

It is always worth keeping in mind that the time spent in meetings is not equal to the impact or value you get out of them.