In person or over a video call, many of us spend a significant portion of our day in “meetings.” We’ve all had the experience of sitting in a meeting and wondering “do I need to be here?” and then possibly following that up with “do any of us need to be here?” Unfortunately bad meetings are commonplace and have led some to call for the banishment of all meetings! If you are somehow working in an environment where no collaboration and coordination is necessary, that might work, but even independent contractors need to meet with their clients on occasion.

Over the years I’ve accumulated different models and tools to diagnose and treat bad meetings and to ensure that the good meetings are happening in a productive way. I’ll share stories of how I’ve used these tools to improve, eliminate, and sometimes even add new meetings to improve the way my team, department and company work.