The document provides 6 hacks for improving meeting efficiency: 1) Include the purpose and objective in meeting invites, 2) Schedule shorter meetings between 15-45 minutes, 3) Only include essential attendees, 4) Send agendas in advance tailored to attendees, 5) Use a "parking lot" for off-topic discussions, and 6) Meet face-to-face or via video instead of calling in. It notes that 20-25% of meeting time is wasted and executives spend 1/3 of their workweek in meetings, so these hacks can help make meetings more productive and valuable.

1. MEETING
EFFICIENCY
HACKS
6

2. 20% - 25% of meeting time is considered
“wasted,” and executives spend 1/3 of their
workweek in meetings. BUT, more than 90%
of projects fail because of poor planning.
(Forbes)
Nobody wants his or her time wasted. Shake up the
boring status quo with these 6 meeting efficiency hacks.
"Set it and forget it." Great for infomercial
chickens, not great for planning meetings.

3. 1 Skip the meeting preamble by mastering
the meeting invite.
Get people up to speed before they walk in the door, so you can
dive right in. Always include in the description:
The purpose: Why are you meeting
The objective (outcome): What needs to happen by the end of
the meeting

4. 2 Break the “meetings-have-to-be-30-
minutes-or-1-hour” scheduling habit.
Can you meet for 15 min? What about 45 min? Not only do you
give time back to your coworkers, you create EFFECTIVE
MEETING ROLLOVER: people get to their next meeting on time,
and the room is vacated for the next group.

5. 3 Weigh your attendee list.
Is each person essential? Consider their contribution against the
agenda. If you’re unsure, add them as optional and let them be the
judge.
PRO TIP: “Meeting Minimalism.” The late Apple CEO Steve
Jobs kept meetings as small as possible, believing that too
many minds in a room got in the way of simplicity.

6. 4 Make the agenda specific to the
attendees and send it ahead of time.
PRO TIP: Assign a timekeeper to keep an eye
on the clock and let you know if you’re falling
behind schedule.
The agenda should ensure the meeting is relevant for everyone
attending. It should also allow them to come prepared with
questions, materials, or insights.

7. 5 Use a “parking lot” strategy for off
topic discussions.
Pro­tip: Assign a “traffic cop” to manage the
parking lot, keeping a list of items that will
require post­meeting follow up.
Establish a “parking lot” before the meeting kicks off. If a
compelling point, topic, or question arises that detours from the
agenda, quickly designate it to the parking lot and move on. This
strategy creates a list of items that will require follow up, but
allow the meeting to stay on course.
Establish a “parking lot” before the meeting kicks off. If a
compelling point, topic, or question arises that detours from the
agenda, quickly designate it to the parking lot and move on. This
strategy creates a list of items that will require follow up, but
allow the meeting to stay on course.

8. 6
Avoid the conference call and meet
face-to-face. If everyone can’t be there
in person, meet over video.
It’s proven that people are
more attentive and retain
more information when
speaking face-to-face,
meaning you can accomplish
more in less time. Not to
mention that 55% of all
message interpretation is
from facial expression and
body language. (Forbes)

9. With Americans sitting through some 11 million meetings
every day, and the unproductive ones costing companies
$37 billion a year, it’s increasingly important to make the
most of every meeting. (Business Insider)
Check out the State of the Modern Meeting Infographic to
see how video is rapidly transforming the way we meet.
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