How many failed meetings have you sat through? All of them? I know that sentiment is real because I have personally sat through too many soul-crushing meetings and conference calls that steal precious time and add minimal value.
While I assumed that many folks felt the same, today’s infographic proves it by showing why meetings disappoint more often than they succeed. According to gathered stats, meetings add little value and reduce productivity. However, there are ways to save your next meeting from the mad whispers that follow it by using solid technology.
First, the bad news. There are 36-56 million meetings in the U.S. every day, and those meetings take up 30 percent of the average worker’s week. Many of the meetings are ineffective, costing the economy $70-$238 billion a year. That statistic alone is enough to cancel the next meeting and do some real work.
What burns most people are unnecessary meetings, and meetings that stray off course or repeat information that has already been disseminated. Another peeve are “those” people who take calls while a meeting is in progress. There is no way “their” phone call is more important than the ones you are missing, right?
The level of ineffective communication during meetings is startling. Nearly half of employees leave meetings without a clear understanding of the meeting’s intended purpose or the directives that were given.
Technology has advanced at super speed through the digital age, but it is imperative to keep up with the latest trends because bad technology makes meetings worse, creating frustration and stress, and killing productivity. Eight minutes are wasted getting people onto conference calls and another 13 minutes are tossed away because of interruptions and distractions during the call.
While there might be the best intentions when using technology during a meeting, outdated or difficult to use tech creates anxiety. Employees want meeting with technology that is wireless, works at the touch of a button, and is easy to share from any device with seamless conferencing between colleagues from different locations.