Loud Thinking

4 Situations a Meeting Can’t Solve

We are meeting-ed out. So before adding another one to everyone’s calendars, see if there’s a better way to accomplish your goal. You definitely should not schedule a meeting if:
The subject isn’t worth everyone’s time. Say you discover a vendor overcharged your unit on several recent orders. The overcharges are minor, and you can deal with the situation simply by calling the vendor and addressing the errors.
Group members are upset and aren’t ready to talk. When there’s a conflict, people may need time apart before they’re ready to tackle the situation.
The issue is better handled one-on-one. For example, if you’re gathering information about an employee’s poor performance.
You need to get a lot of individual opinions. You’ll likely get more honest feedback if you send out an electronic survey than if you ask attendees to provide feedback in a group setting.

Adapted by HBR from Running Meetings (20-Minute Manager).