Please consider the following two questions: 1. Are the meetings you attend inefficient? 2. Are the meetings you host inefficient?
Would it surprise you that most people’s answers to those two questions tend to be ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ in that order – maybe not quite so bluntly as that, but certainly that way inclined. And therein lies the nub of the problem.
The reason that so many inefficient meetings exist is because the people running them are actually largely unaware that they ARE inefficient.
Many cultures are not particularly good at giving feedback, particularly to their peers or leadership – they either: (1) Fear it may not be welcomed and that it could have undesireable consequences; or (b) feel uncomfortable in ‘judging’ the other person. Both of these perspectives are valid, but they reflect an outdated view of feedback which stems back to the old ‘command and control’ model of organisations. The command and control style of management did take a judgemental approach to people, and feedback only tended to flow in one direction.
But we all need feedback to operate effectively, particularly when our work involves influencing other people – as our average meeting performance amply demonstrates.
Without feedback, it is easy to deceive ourselves that we are doing better than we actually are, and this robs us of the opportunity to learn and grow efficiently.
However, the feedback we need is not something that is judgemental of us – it is something that simply helps us to understand the outcomes more clearly.
To illustrate this, consider: If person A tells person B that they are disappointed with the outcome of a meeting that person B hosted, what does this mean?
- Person B did a poor job?
- Person A misunderstood what happened?
- Person A’s expectations were too high?
- Something else caused an unexpected issue?
- Any combination of the above and other factors?
The answer in most meetings is usually 5.
The feedback B receives simply alerts them to the fact that the outcomes are not what was desired, it does not (and should not) place the blame for this on B. However, it does indicate that if B wants to be more successful in delivering productive outcomes from this particular meeting, there may be something that could be improved, and that B may be best placed to initiate that. In this way, feedback from A to B is simply A communicating to B how they feel about how the meeting has impacted them without any judgement-call about whether that feeling is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ or ‘who might be at fault’. For feedback to be effective in our post-command-and-control environment, it is vitally important that this perspective on feedback is adopted. Feedback is simply me saying how I personally feel as a result – something that I am uniquely qualified to assess, which may not be immediately obvious to those around me. It is not about placing responsibility for that feeling on somebody else.
If we are willing to adopt such a perspective on feedback, it opens huge possibilities for improving meeting efficiency, and for transforming organisational productivity:
- We can use feedback to track meeting efficiency, and to highlight opportunities for greater productivity.
- If we can move beyond any implied criticism or defensiveness, we can work together to identify new possibilities.
- We can reconcile the perspectives of the meeting host and the meeting attendee and thereby ensure that inefficient meetings are understood and improved.
- Realistic outcomes are a 30% reduction in meeting time and a 10-20% improvement in management productivity.
So how do you get that feedback?

The inspirometer system provides a number of levels which can be used to solicit meeting feedback in the form described above, and it is important to pick the right approach for your situation. If in doubt,
start small and build up from there.
- Ensure that your meeting attendees understand: your perspective on feedback; its potential for the meeting; and your personal desire to receive it
- Set up your Inspirometer account, and invite meetings@inspirometer.com to your calendar invites to poll meeting attendees feedback quickly, easily and anonymously at the end of each meeting (our Calendar add-in can do this for you automatically)
- Use the meeting feedback at the start of the next meeting to confirm or propose improvements to the meeting process. Thank people for it and illustrate its value
- Where there are bigger issues, schedule time in the meeting to work together on developing and implementing ideas for improvements
- To get more detailed feedback, use in-meeting feedback to capture perspectives on individual agenda items, and review these live within the meeting (simply download our free meeting app to your phone or tablet)
- Where meeting inefficiency may be due to participation, preparation or delivery issues, work with the team to use the participation element of in-meeting feedback
- Use Inspirometer Tags to track the efficiency of resources used around the meeting such as forums, pre-reading, action reports, etc.
- Whenever improvements are made, continue to track their impact with ongoing feedback
All meeting leaders can use their feedback to identify areas for improvement and to select these as ‘symptom areas’ in the right hand panel of the Inspirometer Clinic (which is open to all). From there, they are presented with a number of simple options to address those areas, and practical steps and tools to implement improvements in their approach.
Where feedback is set-up via an Inspirometer account, the Inspirometer tool gathers single-click feedback and undertakes its analysis automatically and in real-time. It presents the meeting leader with a range of straightforward strategies in the areas of: administration; structure; participation; leadership; people; and tools and techniques. Each of these can be implemented and tracked as an improvement strategy within Inspirometer.
Ensure that whatever you do is in line with your goals for meeting improvement.
Inspirometer uses a calendar add-in to effortlessly gather your meeting statistics in the background and to present the analysis back to you as simple real-time charts of how much time you spend in meetings, how you spend that time, and how effective they are.
From your meeting stats page, you can see trends in your own performance, and track the progress of your team, department or company.
For the first time in meetings, you are able to monitor the efficacy and sustainability of meeting improvement strategies across the whole of your organisation, and quickly understand where they are working and where you need to provide further help and support.
Use this insight to realise the full potential of better meetings in terms of time-saving, productivity, creativity and culture.