Rarely are meetings completely pointless. Some meetings are designed to facilitate communication while others are needed for decision making. That said, there are times when a meeting offers little benefit in terms of what we can contribute and gain by attending.
When swamped with work, you would be forgiven for thinking it might be better to avoid the meeting altogether. So how do you avoid a ‘pointless meeting’ while maintaining your professionalism and not damaging your professional relationships in the workplace?
What is a pointless meeting?
This is subjective and should be considered in terms of costs and benefits.
Start by looking at the agenda. If the agenda is vague or too general it might just turn in to an unfocused chat. If the agenda covers topics unrelated to your role you would be understandably wondering what is the point.
Ask yourself is there anything you could contribute? Is there any input or opinion that might be worth making or would benefit others in the meeting? Could you learn anything useful to your role?
If you think you are just going to sitting in the meeting getting bored, while thinking about all the work you need to get done, then its probably worth considering ways of avoiding the meeting altogether.
What makes a meeting useful?
A structured agenda with relevant talking points and objectives are the best kind of meetings.
Don’t avoid meetings involving key personal that relate to your role. These kinds of meetings are a great way to initiate or build relationships. Supplier presentations are an example, even if you feel you know all you need to about the product or service.
If you can get information and ask questions on products or services that you couldn’t get from general literature and information sheets then these are meetings you might need to attend.
When meetings just don’t work for you
I’m going to talk here about learning style. We all have one. Learning style dictates how we process information.
Kinaesthetic learners prefer to interact with the world around them, so for Kinaesthetic learners meetings with others work well.
Visual learners might also do well in some meetings and would benefit from presentations and demonstrations. If the meeting consists of mainly discussion then a visual learner might prefer to submit a report, summary or read the minutes of a meeting rather than attend, depending on the topic.
Auditory learners are more likely to remain quiet during meetings. If a meeting is informational an auditory learner will benefit.
Recognising how you might best contribute to and benefit from a meeting is as important as considering whether the content is right for you.
Exiting the meeting before its begun
If you decide the meeting isn’t useful or the best way for you to contribute then prepare your exit before its begun. Put your case together in a professional and structured manner.
If you have a pressing workload and the content of the meeting is low priority or your contribution to the topic is limited you might have a case to avoid the meeting:
- List the pressing deadlines that require your immediate attention.
- Explain how you can provide input or feedback, if relevant, to the meeting without attending. And how you might catch up on any outcomes from the meeting.
- List other tasks that are more aligned with your goals and responsibilities that need your attention. For instance, if you work in sales and have some deals to close you might understandably rather focus on doing this.
Professional networking includes networking with your work colleagues. Meetings are often used as a means to achieve this, along with training and seminars. If you routinely avoid these kinds of meetings make the effort to nurture professional relationships whenever you get the chance.
Ideally you wouldn’t routinely miss these kinds of meetings. However, if you do be conscious of any resentment you may be nurturing amongst colleagues. Others might also like to skip such meetings. Go out of your way to focus on workplace relationships or you might be creating a problem for yourself further down the line.
Politely excusing yourself during a meeting
This is the least preferred method to avoid meetings. However, if you feel you are wasting your time you need to pick your moment and prepare your reasons.
- Coffee breaks are the ideal point at which to make your excuses. If there are no coffee breaks take the opportunity at the end of a topic discussion and after any point where your input is required.
- Don’t criticise the subject matter of the meeting.
- Be respectful of the person who has organised the meeting.
- Give a clear and constructive explanation of why you need to leave.
- Ask for minutes or a summary of the meeting to illustrate interest.
- Make sure you address any objectives and tasks assigned to you during the meeting, if any. Nothing says I don’t care more than ignoring your responsibilities assigned to you by those who did attend the meeting.
And finally…
Most people are required, at some time or another, to attend meetings that come at the wrong time or cover topics of little interest or relevance. For those adept at avoiding such meetings tactfully it is possible to do so while showing commitment to their professional responsibilities. Being careful to only avoid meetings when necessary while making a clear effort to build a case to justify your absence will not damage your professional standing. Providing you make the effort to nurture relationships with colleagues where the opportunity has been missed at a meeting any negative effect on professional relationships within the work place should be kept to a minimum.