This Meeting Could’ve Been an Email!

Meetings have been around for centuries (cue joke about how they sometimes feel that long). But research on how to do them well only began in the last 20 years, says Joseph Allen, professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the U. Allen literally wrote the book(s) on the subject and created the Center for Meeting Effectiveness to fill the research void. 

Allen says ineffective meetings can lower job satisfaction, raise stress, and lead to thoughts of quitting. On the flip side, he adds, “Good meetings increase job satisfaction and engagement, give you resources, and guard against burnout and fatigue.” Follow his guidelines for meeting success below. If you’re tempted to skip the steps, be forewarned: “Our research shows that one bad meeting causes three more meetings,” says Allen.