? Say goodbye to meetings that could’ve been emails: When a meeting gets canceled, most people let out a sigh of relief, quietly questioning whether it needed to be scheduled in the first place. Wasting hours in unproductive meetings has almost become standard practice in corporate life, something both employees and managers are expected to endure. But any efficiently run workplace should respect people’s time by making meetings fewer, shorter, and more purposeful. Here’s our guide to running meetings that are actually worth everyone’s time.

Start by asking: Is this worth a meeting at all?

Before sending that calendar invite, consider what you want to accomplish. Companies that over-rely on meetings as their primary mode of communication often have deeper issues in how information flows, according to Matt Abrahams, a Stanford University lecturer. The ability to write clear, concise emails or Slack and Teams messages is an underrated skill.

Examine your company’s culture: Does it encourage thoughtful, independent decision-making, or is it defaulting to group meetings as a safety net? A 2023 McKinsey report suggests treating leadership’s time as a limited resource — not unlike financial capital — and being more deliberate about when to bring people together.

Bokra CEO Ayman El Sawy agrees. Meetings should ideally be “just a confirmation of things already discussed,” not a space for basic alignment. “If people are prepared and internal communication is strong, there’s no reason a meeting should go beyond 10 minutes.”

Consider async alternatives: Asynchronous communication offers a practical alternative to meeting overload. Companies like GitHub and Atlassian encourage teams to document decisions, share updates via memos, and collaborate in shared workspaces instead of relying on live calls, the Financial Times reports. “It’s just about ensuring that when I sit down to work, I have the information I need to start,” says GitHub COO Kyle Daigle. While async isn’t a total replacement for real-time interaction, it reduces unnecessary meetings and lets teams focus on their own time.

Differentiate between meeting types

Not every meeting needs to happen live — and not all meetings serve the same purpose. Presentations where one person talks at a deck? Share the slides or record a short video instead, then use meeting time for actual discussion. Status updates? Move them to Slack or a written roundup.

What’s left should fall into one of three categories: decision-making meetings, which need a clear outcome and ideally a designated decision-maker; creative or coordination meetings for idea generation and planning; and information-sharing meetings, which often add the least value and can usually be replaced with async updates.

El Sawy notes that meeting culture should evolve with an organization’s maturity. “In a startup, especially during the early years, regular meetings with follow-ups are necessary,” he says. “But if you’re 10 years in and still having the same kind of meetings, that’s inefficient. The context matters — phase, size, and team experience all play a role.”

Always have an agenda

If a meeting does need to happen, it should have a clearly defined purpose. A vague subject line like “project check-in” doesn’t cut it. Everyone walking in — or logging on — should know what the meeting is meant to accomplish and what decisions need to be made. Attach a brief, well-thought-out agenda and stick to it. Prioritize items so the most important points are addressed first, especially if people have hard stops. El Sawy is emphatic: “Everyone needs to know what the meeting is about, come in ready with the agenda, vision, and task.” Without that, he says, there’s no need for a meeting at all.

Clarify each participant’s role

Defining roles beforehand eliminates confusion and ensures each person contributes meaningfully. McKinsey outlines four roles worth applying: the decision-maker, who owns the final call; advisors, who provide input but don’t decide; recommenders, who do the homework and suggest a path forward; and execution partners, who will carry out the decision. If someone doesn’t fit one of these roles, they likely don’t need to be there.

This clarity comes with time, El Sawy says. “There’s a learning curve, [especially at the junior level]. But once people understand the company’s style, it becomes easier to conduct proper meetings.”

Keep communication focused

Begin by stating the objective upfront so everyone is aligned. Steer the conversation with pointed, goal-oriented questions that drive toward a conclusion. As the meeting progresses, it’s up to the leader to keep things on track — cutting through digressions and bringing the group back to the core agenda. That said, control shouldn’t come at the expense of collaboration. Effective facilitators create space for others to contribute, ensuring the conversation reflects a range of perspectives while staying on course.

Rethink the clock

People often schedule meetings based on personal convenience rather than team capacity, overlooking how back-to-back calls drain focus, Abrahams says. Shifting meetings to less crowded parts of the day — and tailoring their length to the task at hand — can lead to better engagement and sharper outcomes. “A 22-minute meeting might be all you need,” he notes.

Short meetings are often the most effective, with attention spans slipping as discussions drag on. If 15 minutes is enough, don’t stretch it to fill the default 30. And crucially, send materials in advance — wasting time pulling up documents mid-call is a fast track to losing the room.

El Sawy puts it simply: “If senior management is doing 10-minute meetings, it forces everyone to be more organized. It creates harmony — and it promotes work-life balance. When you’re aligned before a meeting, work gets done faster, and you don’t have to stay overtime.”

How to know it’s working

Better meetings should translate into tangible results — but how do you measure progress? A few signs you’re on the right track: meetings end with clear next steps, followup emails don’t rehash what was already discussed, and your calendar starts to feel lighter without productivity slipping. If people stop dreading the weekly standup or actually show up prepared, that’s a W. The ultimate test is simple: are decisions getting made faster, and is less time being wasted getting there?