How better writing can avoid pointless meetings

The cost of needless meetings

Meetings are on the rise, and have been for decades. While in 1998, employees averaged six hours per week in meetings, by 2021 this had soared to 21.5 hours – more than half the working week. And according to the 2023 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, meetings will continue to claim more of our time.

Meetings, virtual or in person, have become the default form of communication in many organisations, and some people’s days seem to consist entirely of “back-to-backs”. But as most of us know, not all of these meetings are valuable. In fact, surveys suggest a whopping 71% are unproductive.

The meetings-first culture that’s steadily taking hold is detrimental to both individuals and organisations. Pointless calls and gatherings waste time that could be better spent on actual work. They also interrupt concentration, costing professionals even more time as they get back into the flow of what they were doing. And when employees have frequent meetings, they’re likely to rush tasks or complete them at the end of a long day, leading to lower quality work.

All of this leaves employees feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and often downright stressed – yet another threat to the bottom line. E-commerce giant Shopify’s CFO believes meetings are such a drain on resources that he’s created a cost calculator for them. With meetings regularly costing thousands of dollars each, he hopes the tool will encourage employees to think twice before sending invitations. At the start of 2023, Shopify employees cancelled a collective 12,000 meetings, with a brief to limit future ones to those with a clear value.

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Are emails any better?

Now, I’m not advocating doing away with meetings altogether. Collaborating is a great way to generate ideas and solve problems, and team members shouldn’t try to do everything in isolation.

But what about when you’re after concrete information rather than teamwork? Often, you need knowledge from someone else’s head before you can crack on with the report, presentation, or article you’ve been tasked with.

Your first instinct might be to schedule a meeting with that person to pick their brain. And they’d probably prefer to talk instead of having to write you a long email. Let’s be honest – there’s a real reluctance among professionals to commit thoughts to paper (or screen), and most people would rather have a chat than type out copious quantities of information.

But professional communication shouldn’t be about what’s easiest; it should be about what works best. And as much as talking might be more pleasant than writing, it could cause more work in the long run. That’s because verbal communication isn’t a very reliable method of gaining precise, detailed information. As speech is spontaneous, it’s likely to skip around and miss crucial details, meaning more meetings or endless follow up emails that waste everyone’s time.

Writing, on the other hand, gives respondents time to think and provide everything you need to know in a logical order. When accuracy and completeness matter, you don’t want an off-the-cuff answer; you need a thought-out response.

You also need to think about what you’ll do with all the information you gather in a meeting. It’s more useful to have a comprehensive written record to refer to than hurried notes you made while someone was speaking.

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When email’s a no-brainer

Sometimes you don’t need detailed information at all, and a quick answer will do. In this case, it’s almost always more efficient to send an email rather than schedule a meeting. The reality is that more than 55% of workers are frustrated by meetings that could have been an email. Another 55% write emails during their meetings, suggesting they think this is often a more valuable activity.

At other times, a project can’t even begin until someone sends everyone clear plans or information that will steer the rest of the work. Meetings that happen before this point usually end with no decisions or actions being agreed, and lead straight to another meeting to “progress” the project. In many cases, collaboration is only possible when all contributors have come prepared, which probably means articulating information or ideas clearly on paper, not just in your head.

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Avoiding email fatigue

But emails have drawbacks of their own, I hear you protest.

Firstly, emails get ignored. Why? Perhaps people are far too busy in meetings to read their emails. Another reason is that many emails are rambling and devoid of an obvious point. Clear and concise emails are easier to read and respond to, meaning you can get through more of them. Below, we’ll look at how to write clearer emails.

What about emails that go back and forth, seemingly forever? We’ve all been stuck in perpetual email chains we wish we’d never responded to, dreading the next ping as we make our fifth attempt at focusing on the same task. But there are some simple ways to keep email chains short and sharp. When responding to an email, you should:

• Answer questions thoroughly so the asker doesn’t have to follow up.
• Address all of the points you’re being asked about (not just those you feel like responding to).
• Remember the purpose of the email, and try to anticipate what the other person needs to know. Think about what you need them to know as well.

You might be trying to field emails as quickly as possible, but sending a partial response is only going to cost you more time overall.

The truth is that emails can be just as big a waste of time as meetings when done badly. But if you learn to write in a way that includes all the necessary information while cutting straight to the point, it can be much faster than having a meeting.

Here are some tips for writing more clearly.

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How to write clearly

Organise your writing logically

Define your objective before you begin writing, considering what the recipient needs to understand and do with your information. Then list what you need to include to reach that objective. Finally, write up your email or document following your plan; for documents, use headings and bullet points to make the information easy to navigate.

Be concise

Focus on essential information that supports your objective, and avoid anything that could distract from it. You can also get to the point by using concise language, keeping sentences as short as you can without losing your meaning.

Choose simple, relatable language

Use language that will be easy for your reader to digest, steering clear of unfamiliar jargon, acronyms, and clichés that could confuse. If you’re writing a document, don’t slip into unnecessary formalities. You might want to sound like an authority on the topic, but using complicated words and long-winded sentences isn’t the way to do it. Clear, everyday language will help you get your point across more effectively.

Avoid basic mistakes

Good grammar, punctuation, and spelling are important. Not only do mistakes undermine your credibility, but they create costly misunderstandings. So take the time to proofread your writing and fine-tune it before clicking ‘send’.

By improving your writing, you can cut out unproductive meetings and make your email exchanges more worthwhile. Ready to sharpen your skills and reclaim your time? My online business writing course teaches you to write with purpose, clarity, and impact so that you can accomplish your professional goals more easily.

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