We want other people to provide an agenda, but think we don’t have to. Why?

You want it to feel collaborative

You’re worried an agenda makes your meeting seem bureaucratic and rigid. That it will stifle input.

The opposite is true. When people join a meeting without knowing what it’s about, they waste time wondering. They can’t focus because they don’t know what’s ahead.

An agenda lets them focus on the topic and listen to others rather than worrying about what might be raised.

You didn’t have time

If you don’t have 10 minutes to work out what you want to achieve so you can communicate it, you’re not ready to ask a room full of people to spend an hour finding out. Yes, you’re busy. We’re all busy. 

You're not sure what you want to cover

This is a clarity issue. Complete this sentence: I’m calling these people together because by the end of this meeting, I want…

This will give you your objective, which you should use in the invitation and the introduction. Bookend your session with 5 minutes to settle people in and 5 minutes to close out. The core of the meeting should be about resolving your objective. 

No one reads the agenda anyway

Here’s why people don’t read agendas: They’re meaningless because the chairperson doesn’t follow them; they offer nothing of value for participants; they’re sent out too late.

Make your agendas worth reading by answering: what’s in it for them to attend? Follow the agenda in your meetings. It won’t take long for word to spread that your agendas can and should be taken seriously.

You’ve asked people to add to the agenda but no one is. Why?

They aren’t clear what the point of the meeting is 

Reset the intent of the meeting and their role in it. For example, “we’ll be meeting to determine…If you have a related issue this is the perfect forum to raise it”

They're scared of being responsible for the agenda item

Give them confidence by backing up their agenda item with your own input. “I’m pleased Sam added this item to the agenda because it is important to us achieving…”

It’s your meeting, not theirs

If people feel like passengers, ask one of them directly, outside the meeting: "What would you want us to cover next time?" Then put their name next to it on the agenda. Seeing their own contribution credited is what shifts people from attending to owning.

You call a meeting because that’s just what we do, right? Why?

Cultural norm

It’s what people expect. It’s the standard approach to communicating with colleagues because we assume it means people will feel engaged.

Before you call a meeting for the sake of it, consider whether there’s a better way to share what needs to be shared. If it’s telling rather than talking, it’s probably better in an email.

Work without working

Holding a meeting can feel productive even if it’s not. It’s a safe thing to do. It’s work without working. Being tied up in meetings can also feel safer than getting on with the hard stuff. Ask yourself if you are using meetings to avoid other work.

Lazy leadership

A standing team meeting doesn't need a new objective every week, but it does need intention behind it or becomes a waste of time. That's on the leader to protect, not just accept. Rotate who opens it. Ask a real question, not just "any updates?" 

Try "what's the best thing that happened this week" or "what's one thing you're stuck on." Cut anything that could be an email and use the time together for meaningful discussion. If it's meant to be the best meeting of the week, treat it as the one you'd be embarrassed to cancel.

Still worried about not calling a meeting? Remember, if your meeting is cancelled and no one notices its absence, it’s a clear sign it didn’t need to happen.

You're staring at a grid of faces in your online meeting, and half of them have checked out.

Their cameras are off, they’re muted and there’s a good chance they are taking this precious time to do something else. They might think they’re listening, but they are distracted. Why?

You don’t want to be rude

No one wants to ask someone to turn their camera on. It feels intrusive. But without faces, you lose the accountability that comes from being seen. It's easier to disappear when no one can see you've done so.

Set the expectation upfront: cameras on unless there's a real reason (bandwidth, back-to-back calls) and model it yourself. If someone is off camera, be sure to call on them to contribute.

There's a recording, so why pay attention now

People check out live because they can "catch up later" with a recording. Truth is, they never do. You lose their input in the moment and they lose the content altogether.

Say plainly at the start: this isn't a broadcast, it's a working session. If you need their input, tell them what you need it on before the meeting, not during.

Multitasking feels efficient

It feels like we can multitask, but we can’t. It’s task switching. If people are multitasking – either with their camera off or fiddling with their phone in front of you – they don't think the meeting is worth their full attention.

Ask yourself honestly whether this section of the meeting needs them at all. If it doesn't, say so: "The next 10 minutes are for finance only, everyone else can drop off." If it does need them, that's your cue this is an agenda problem, not an attention problem..

The meeting turns into a mess with people talking over each other, having side conversations or quieter people never getting a word in. Why?

The chairperson has lost control

It’s your role to steer the meeting in a way to achieve the agreed objective. That means hearing from all who have something to contribute, not just the loudest people.

If someone's dominating, use their name to redirect: "Thanks [name], I want to bring in a couple of other views before we move on."

If someone hasn't spoken, ask them directly: "[Name], what's your take on this?"

Don't wait for a gap in the conversation because there may not be one

You have too much to say

You’re grandstanding. You’re telling, not listening. It’s difficult to be both the subject matter expert and facilitate a meeting, so ask someone else to chair the meeting if you need to contribute to it.

As a leader, it can also be helpful to place your agenda items later in the session so others have the chance (and obligation) to contribute.

Too many open channels 

In a virtual or hybrid meeting, a side conversation is playing out in the chat window while someone's talking. Half the room's reading it, half isn't, and you're left choosing between missing good input or losing your own train of thought reading it mid-sentence. 

Set expectations at the start: you'll check chat before moving to the next agenda item, not while someone's mid-flow.

If someone wants to jump in and speak, require a virtual hand up or a signal on screen rather than a comment lost that will get buried in the scroll. You can talk or you can read chat. Not both.

You are constantly fighting the clock, running over allocated time. This leaves people feeling rushed and irritated. Why can’t you stick to time?

Going with the flow

You don’t want to cut anyone off or miss anyone’s contribution. It’s true that seeing where an interesting conversation goes is important, and sometimes you won’t want to interrupt the flow.

You therefore have to make a call. Follow this line of conversation and reconvene on the other agenda items, or pause the topic and reconvene on that. You can’t do both. 

Eyes too big for our belly

You’re too ambitious. You think you’ll accomplish more than is feasible in the time allocated. You pack an agenda because you struggle to get everyone together and have a lot to cover. The problem is you then rush through items that deserve more time.

Instead of tabling everything on the agenda, get to your priorities and then tell people what you will be sharing after the meeting via email.

You’re leaving things open-ended. You have talked about what needs to be done but not named who will do it by when. Why?

It feels awkward or confrontational 

You want people to like you and don’t want to place a burden on their shoulders. But ambiguity is a burden everyone ends up carrying.

Clarifying who is responsible is a kindness for everyone in the room, including the person who is assigned the action.

You’re not clear on what needs to be done

In that case, the action remains yours. You need to get clear on what needs to happen. Ask for ideas. Until you have that you can’t assign accountability.

You’re not clear who should do what 

Ask who is best positioned to take this. Then be quiet and let silence create tension.

If you find the same people putting up their hands, you might want to look at performance across your team. Who’s ducking responsibility? Who’s overcompensating for others?

If you’re still not clear, it’s not the actions you need to work on, it’s roles and responsibilities.

The meeting went well, but there’s no follow through. Why?

Ambiguity

People aren’t clear who needs to do what. Follow your meeting with a brief email capturing what was agreed.

It really needs to happen the same day as the meeting. If you struggle to find time for this type of admin, cut your meeting by 5 minutes and use that time to send it out.

Job done

You’re so relieved you’ve clarified what needs to happen that you assume it will. But the meeting isn’t the outcome. It’s part of the process to get to the outcome.

For that reason, it’s helpful to close your meeting with next steps so you and everyone else recognises there’s more to be done.

Nothing documented

Don’t rely on people noting down their own actions. While you should be able to trust adults to follow through, you need to capture and disseminate three things: who is doing what by when. 

Don’t want to nag

It can feel awkward to follow people up, but that’s what you should do. Set an expectation in the meeting by saying you’ll be checking in on their progress before the next meeting. Approach this as someone seeking to support them so they welcome your contact.