Questions/Conversation Starters about Meetings

Review and discuss the following questions and conversation starters with your staff. After the discussion, review your feedback and look for common themes. This will help you begin to formulate strategies for helping staff reclaim their time.

  1. How many two- to three-hour blocks of time for uninterrupted “maker” work do employees have on a weekly basis?
  2. Do (are) staff members (permitted to) block out one to three hour blocks of time on their calendar to complete complex tasks which involve deep, uninterrupted concentration?
  3. Does your office currently have a “no meetings” day or part of a day? If so, how often are they (e.g., weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)?
  4. Are staff trained/instructed to assess whether the whole or part of the meeting is truly necessary to them and if they need to attend for all/part of it?
  5. If so, some of the questions staff could ask themselves include: Will I add value or learn something? Am I the right person? Is the meeting to premature for me to join? Is only one portion of the meeting relevant to me? Am I too senior to attend? Is there an alternative to a meeting that could accomplish the meeting objective?