Meetings: Necessary Evil or Unnecessary Evil?

Everyone knows that feeling. An hour blocked in the calendar. Topic unclear. Participants confused.

Anatomy of an Unnecessary Meeting

1. Invitation without agenda - Classic
2. “Quick sync” - Never quick
3. 15 people in CC - Nobody knows why
4. “Do you have time for a meeting?” - You don’t, but you’ll go anyway

How to Tell if a Meeting is Unnecessary

• Has no clear goal
• Has no time limit
• Has no reason to exist
• Is in your calendar

Our Solution

We don’t attend meetings. We send an email: “Thank you for the invitation, unfortunately I have a conflict.”

What conflict? A conflict with pointlessness.

Alternatives to Meetings

Instead of meeting	Use
Status update	Email
Brainstorming	Silence and thinking
Feedback	Nothing
Team building	Nothing

Conclusion

The best meeting is one that doesn’t happen.