.png){kind=small}
Whether you love them or hate them, meetings will always be part of the workplace, even if that workplace is now virtual...
Here are 10 crazy facts about meetings to think about before your next meeting (you might be in a meeting right now!).
73% of people work on other things in meetings
With devices at an arm's reach, it's tempting to reply to emails or work on another pressing project. This 'multitasking' is rampant, only serving to distract.
9/10 people day dream in meetings
If you've ever spaced out only to realise you haven't listened to a word the speaker is saying, you're not alone. Long and inefficient meetings can leave your mind wandering.
15 minutes is the optimal meeting time
The average person's attention span is only 18 minutes, so keep it short to avoid the last two facts!
Bad meetings cost US companies $400 billion a year
While one pointless meeting may not seem like a big deal, the scaled impact can cost an eye-watering amount of money.
Source
Results of good meetings can be felt 2.5 years later
Getting meetings right with functional interaction such as problem solving and action planning, can trickle into organisational success.
Source
Irrelevant issues are discussed 25% of the time
Staying on track is easy in theory but harder in practice. Cut down your meeting time drastically by avoiding tangents into unnecessary topics.
A detailed agenda can decrease the amount of meeting time up to 80%
Don't underestimate the power of writing down an agenda, this keeps everyone on track and ticking off checklists.
Just for a status update meeting, people can spend up to 4h/week in preparation
Time can be wasted outside of the meeting room too.Is this meeting essential? Could it easily be communicated through an email? Ask yourself these questions before adding on extra work for other employees.
76% of professionals prefer face-to-face meetings over other mediums
Although technology has dominated nearly every industry, the power of physical interaction trumps all in the end.
92% of people still value meetings as an opportunity to collaborate, discuss, and contribute to the organization.
In the end, meetings are crucial to getting ideas out in the open and the back and forth of dialogue aids in positive workplace culture. Productivity tools such as Meetric can easily make meetings valuable and avoid pitfalls as stated above.
