Meetings Equal Mediocrity

Meetings are temporary committees.

Nothing great gets done by committees.

Typically meetings are the exact opposite of actual work. They are a way of avoiding work, a way for egos to inflate, and a great way to waste time.

If you must have a meeting… and I mean if you really MUST… here are three tips to minimize the damage:

1. Keep it to 15 minutes or less. Use a timer! Be ruthless.

2. No speeches. Consider a 2-minute rule: no speaking for more than 2 minutes by any one person.

3. Stand up. No sitting. And no snacks, no drinks, and no handouts (if you can put it on a handout or in an email… why are you wasting my time with a meeting?).

This all applies to phone meetings too.

Ray Edwards is a world-renowned copywriter and communications strategist, writing for some of the most powerful voices in leadership and business including New York Times bestselling authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul) and Tony Robbins. Ray is a sought-after speaker and author, hosts a popular weekly podcast, and blogs at RayEdwards.com.