Make every kind of

meeting better
Make every kind of meeting better 2

Introduction

Employees spend an average of 10 hours each week in meetings, but research Meeting Satisfaction Levels by Meeting Type
involving more than 800 business leaders tells us that the more digital our world
becomes, the more employees need that connection with other team members.
They also want meetings to be structured, authenticated and facilitated through Collaborative 75%
advanced technologies that help participants to connect wherever they are
working.
Status 71%
As the workforce becomes more diverse, it’s more important than ever for
leaders to focus on maximising the value of meetings. Increasing meeting
productivity can improve creativity and innovation.
Customer 77%
Sharing 68%
Let’s take a closer look at the five different types of meetings
and how to drive greater satisfaction for each. Formal 65%
Make every kind of meeting better 3

01.
Meeting 01/05 Collaborative
Common practices and key findings:
sessions

Collaborative Longer than other

meeting types and
Millennials are more likely
to rely on whiteboards,
02.
Status

sessions
generate a higher
level of interaction
Grab the sticky notes and Less likely to start on time
markers! These meetings are
all about generating ideas,
troubleshooting solutions and Require the most
identifying new possibilities. technical support
(access to files,
email, calendars,
whiteboards and
support software)
Attendees tend to multitask
check-ins
revise documents in real
time and collaborate via
text or instant message (IM)
03.
Customer
meetings
Gen Xers are most likely to
send pre-reading materials,
create action items and use
04.
Knowledge-
digital note-taking tools sharing
At least half of attendees 05.
Formal
across all age groups note
meetings
the challenge of participating
remotely, and the need for
better follow-up

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Make every kind of meeting better 4

01.
Meeting 01/05 Collaborative
sessions

Keys to success 02.

Status
check-ins
Set aside at least an hour to discuss
and develop ideas

03.
Send agenda and relevant materials
Customer
well in advance of the meeting, and meetings
a reminder on the day

Provide real-time access to files,

04.
whiteboards (physical and digital),
Knowledge-
calendars and email sharing

Don’t be afraid of pauses and

silence, which can indicate attendees
are processing information and 05.
Formal
forming new ideas
meetings

Use videoconferencing to establish

a stronger connection with remote
employees
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Make every kind of meeting better 5

01.
Meeting 02/05 Collaborative
Common practices and key findings:
sessions

Status 02.
Status

check-ins
The favourite type of check-ins
Most frequently The shortest meeting for Baby Boomers
attended, type of meeting:
comprising 30% last less 03.
27% of all than 30 minutes Customer
Gantt charts, anyone? meeting types meetings
It’s time to provide updates,
hash out solutions and Least likely to include
adjust project schedules. an agenda
04.

50%
Knowledge-
sharing

Feature the least

frequent use of video 05.
Formal
teleconferencing Roughly 50% of Gen Xers
meetings
(VTC) solutions, video and Millennials note the
presentations or digital lack of sufficient follow-up
note-taking tools

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Make every kind of meeting better 6

01.
Meeting 02/05 Collaborative
sessions

Keys to success 02.

Status
check-ins
Keep status meetings short and
fast-paced
03.
Start on time and keep Customer
discussions moving meetings

To help attendees keep track of

the conversation, request that
04.
all participants state their name Knowledge-
before speaking sharing

Record discussions for future

reference
05.
Formal
Schedule next steps in real time meetings

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Make every kind of meeting better 7

01.
Meeting 03/05 Collaborative
Common practices and key findings:
sessions

Customer Usually include the fewest

Often include
attendees from
02.
Status

meetings
people outside the
check-ins

organisation

03.
Customer
These meetings bring Tend to be longer: Millennials and meetings
85% last longer than Boomers are more likely
together your sales, 30 minutes to attend via dial-in
support and service staff to or videoconferencing
04.
better serve the customer. solutions
Knowledge-
sharing

Most likely to
include an agenda, Millennials are frustrated
with email and by lack of structure or 05.
pre-reading lack of agenda, as well Formal
meetings
materials sent in as technical glitches,
advance meetings running long
and lack of follow-up

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Make every kind of meeting better 8

01.
Meeting 03/05 Collaborative
sessions

Keys to success 02.

Status
check-ins

Send relevant materials

ahead of time
03.
Customer
Test links to ensure that meetings
attendees can easily access
materials
04.
Test your set-up ahead of Knowledge-
time to minimise the chance sharing
of disruption

Share a meeting recap

05.
with key points and clearly Formal
defined next steps meetings

Learn more
Make every kind of meeting better 9

01.
Meeting 04/05 Collaborative
Common practices and key findings:
sessions

Knowledge- Tend to be unstructured: Receive relatively 02.

Status

sharing
sending out an agenda low satisfaction and check-ins
or pre-reading materials productivity ratings
is less likely, as is the
need for follow-up
03.
Customer
Whether part of ongoing Millennials include meetings
learning and development, attendees from outside
the organisation
or the rolling out of new
technologies or processes, Participants often feel
04.
Knowledge-
from time to time your that attendees are not sharing

company will schedule a adequately prepared

meeting to share information.
Require a medium
amount of tech support
Millennials are introducing
Gen Xers to the value of
using digital note-taking 05.
Formal
tools, exchanging texts and
meetings
instant messaging with
other attendees

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Make every kind of meeting better 10

01.
Meeting 04/05 Collaborative
sessions

Keys to success 02.

Status
check-ins

Send attendees pre-reading

materials and give them a 03.
deadline to review Customer
meetings
Encourage participation,
address challenging
questions and remove 04.
distractions Knowledge-
sharing
Follow up meeting with main
points, relevant materials
and action items 05.
Formal
Include the nature of the meetings
meeting and virtual meeting
platform within the invite

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Make every kind of meeting better 11

01.
Collaborative
Meeting 05/05 Common practices and key findings:
sessions

Formal 02.
Status

meetings
Typically provide check-ins
the lowest level
of tech support
for attendees
03.
Whether releasing annual Customer

or quarterly results,
or announcing news with
81% meetings

a broad impact, you’ll likely 04.

Knowledge-
schedule a company-wide Generally sharing
assembly. These are the least considered an
frequent, but largest meetings Participation levels are unsatisfactory
relatively low: attended by and unproductive 05.
in terms of the number of only 81% of employees meeting type by Formal
attendees. all age groups meetings

Learn more
Make every kind of meeting better 12

01.
Meeting 05/05 Collaborative
sessions

Keys to success
02.
Status
Keep meeting length as short as check-ins
possible to encourage attendance

Presenters should be succinct and to

03.
the point: what is the news and why
Customer
does it matter? meetings

Encourage participation: answer

questions, take suggestions and share
04.
wins and successes
Knowledge-
sharing
Choose solutions designed for
broadcasting to large groups of
remote attendees
05.
Formal
Share a meeting recap and recording meetings
company-wide

Ask for, and incorporate, feedback on

the meeting structure and agenda
Learn more
Make every kind of meeting better
Demo Meetings in
Microsoft Teams
Understanding more about the realities of
meetings can help you make them more
productive. And the right technology can help.
13
See how Microsoft Teams in Office 365
provides a complete online meeting solution
in this on-demand webcast and demo.
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