According to a 2018 Statista survey, approximately 45% of participants stated that they spend up to half of their working hours in meetings. If such a large portion of working hours is reserved for meetings, then significant importance is attached to them. It is all the more important to know what possibilities exist in the world of meetings and what needs to be considered.

Identifying the Appropriate Meeting Rhythm

Let us first turn our attention to the meeting rhythm. Meetings can be one-off or recurring. The choice between these two variants depends on the specific objective of the meeting.

One-off meetings are usually held to discuss or present a specific and currently relevant topic. Once it has taken place, this topic is concluded or may lead to the implementation of regular meetings.

Regular meetings are recurring discussions held at specific intervals. Depending on the purpose, the rhythm can typically be daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. Further gradations are also possible, provided a specific interval is maintained.

Daily meetings are usually associated with the SCRUM method, where they are conducted as Daily Stand-Up Meetings. However, the logic of Daily SCRUM Meetings can also be applied in any other context without utilizing the entire SCRUM method itself. Outside of SCRUM, the term ‘Daily Huddle’ is also common. The purpose behind this is for a team to briefly discuss, in a few minutes, what progress has been made, what is next, and where challenges or obstacles might need to be overcome. Even if these meetings usually take place in the morning, the time should be chosen to be suitable for every team member. This is particularly important in international constellations with different time zones.

Choosing the Right Meeting Location

Due to current events, the meeting location is probably receiving the most attention and is the subject of various discussions. We are talking about online and offline meetings, with the current focus primarily on virtual discussions.
In offline meetings, participants are physically present together in one place or room, thus physically and ideally also mentally present. Since a personal encounter of this kind can never be replaced, every important or critical topic should be discussed or presented in this manner if possible.
Online meetings take place in a virtual space using various tools, such as Microsoft Teams. Participants log in at a specific time, join the virtual room, communicate via speakers and microphone, and ideally with video transmission. The prerequisites for this, as logical as they may seem, are a stable internet connection, a computer or other mobile device, a headset or similar, and a camera. Especially in the current times, it is all the more noticeable that these prerequisites are not a given for working from home or homeschooling. Once everything necessary is available and operational, the initial obstacles are overcome, and the benefits can be utilized.
The availability of online meetings has made it possible for international teams to communicate and see each other at any time without expensive business trips. From anywhere in the world, regardless of country or workplace, people can discuss diverse topics, present, work on solutions, or generate ideas.
Furthermore, it should be mentioned that a mix of online and offline meetings is also popular. It is particularly used in cases of geographical separation, for example, when participants are in different countries, cities, or locations. Some participants can meet in a conference room in a shared office, while others join via a virtual conference.

Support Through the Use of Tools

In both online and hybrid meetings, significant attention is generally paid to the tools used. Questions arise concerning, for example, existing or missing features, or which tool is easier to use. Arguments are also made regarding integration with other applications used within the company. If a company is facing a new selection of suitable tools for online meetings, we advise considering the entire tool landscape, especially concerning communication and collaboration.
Ultimately, it is not crucial from which market provider the tool is sourced, but rather how it supports employees in their daily work. Therefore, one should ask what else is needed for successful meetings besides presentation slides and how this can be mapped and provided online. Platforms like Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), for example, offer the possibility to collaboratively generate new ideas on a virtual whiteboard, centrally record meeting notes in OneNote, and directly transfer agreed-upon tasks to Planner.

Establishing Good Meeting Etiquette

We have already seen that the use of suitable tools, especially for online meetings, should not be neglected. However, it is also important to consider the argument that meeting etiquette has a greater influence on successful discussions than the tool used. To elaborate on this, let us consider a less successful meeting.

The meeting invitation is sent via email at 9:00 AM on Monday morning with the subject line “Coordination on Topic X”, scheduled for today at 9:30 AM for one hour. At 9:29 AM, another email follows with the dial-in details for an online conference. The first participants are punctually in the virtual room at 9:30 AM, while other participants are still struggling with the technology. By 9:40 AM, all invited individuals have managed to join, and the meeting begins. The meeting host immediately starts with their questions and demands to their colleagues. After 10 minutes, a brave participant takes the floor and asks the crucial question, “Why are we actually here today?”. While the host backpedals and explains the background, a polite request is heard for Mr. X to please mute himself. At 10:35 AM, the meeting participants realize that the meeting time has expired and the next meeting has already begun, to which they urgently rush.

Online and offline meetings with less-than-optimal meeting etiquette can occur in this or a similar manner, leading to wasted valuable time and little progress on a specific topic.
We have summarized the most important components of a healthy meeting in a brief guide:

• Consideration of the 3 Meeting Phases: Preparation – Execution – Follow-up
• Timely invitation to the meeting at least one day in advance (preferably one week prior)
• Complete information in the meeting invitation:
  o When?
  o Where?
  o How long?
  o Why?
  o What?
• If required, create an online conference and include it in the invitation.
• Respond to the meeting invitation with an acceptance or a refusal.
• Punctual attendance at the start of the meeting.
• Check technical equipment for functionality beforehand.
• Use of video transmission in online meetings.
• Full attention without multitasking.
• Observe general communication rules, e.g., muting oneself when not speaking and allowing other participants to finish speaking.

Conclusion

Is the thesis that online meetings differ significantly from in-person meetings robust? Upon closer inspection, these two variants have more in common than one might assume. It is also plausible to assume that many of the difficulties encountered in virtual discussions also occur in offline meetings. This implies that the way we conduct meetings is considered successful or unsuccessful regardless of the type. A successful meeting is largely independent of type, location, rhythm, or tools. Etiquette and interpersonal interaction have a greater influence.
In the second part of our article series, we will examine the three phases of a successful meeting in more detail: Preparation – Execution – Follow-up.