We’ve all been there. Sitting through an absolute slog of a team meeting, wondering why we’re even there and what we’re even talking about.
You may have even led some of these exhausting meetings. But don’t feel ashamed. Very few people get trained on how to run a meeting. But learning how to do it can turn you into a standout performer at your company.
In this blog, we’ll teach you how to run a meeting to get what you need while helping your teammates get clear on their action items.
The good news: Running an energizing, effective team meeting isn’t nearly as complex as it sounds. It just takes a few simple steps to support your team’s energy and focus.
We all know that time is incredibly valuable. But your teammates can’t make the most of their time if they have no energy.
With proper energy management, everyone can achieve more with less. In other words, managing your team’s energy responsibly can boost meeting productivity while sustainably supporting performance afterwards. Not to mention, it helps prevent burnout.
First, focus on load management and recovery.
Meetings take a heavy mental and physical toll. Task switching from meetings, to working, back to meetings, and then to more back-to-back meetings is extremely taxing. Maintaining the focus of your team meeting helps manage the load.
The human body has a natural cadence of energy highs and lows.
At Exos, we call it the 90/20 Rule: For every 90 minutes of work, incorporate 20 minutes of rest.
Most people can sustain focus for about 90 minutes before performance starts to naturally decline. Taking a 20-minute recharge break after these periods of work helps support high productivity. And meetings should follow the same cadence.
Not every team meeting takes 90 minutes, of course. So you can break down this 90/20 ratio into smaller pieces. For example, try ending your 30-minute meeting 5 minutes early to let people recharge in between meetings.
We’ve covered the basics of energy management. Now, here’s how to run a meeting that doesn’t suck all the life out of the room.
Share the intended goal of the meeting with your participants at least 24 hours beforehand. Also include the agenda, aka what you’ll actually be doing during the meeting.
Setting expectations lets people come prepared, focused, and aligned with the objectives.
For example: “The goal of this meeting is to brainstorm and align on content themes for this coming quarter. We’ll use 5 minutes to set the stage. Then, we’ll use the rest of our 45 minutes to vote on our favorite themes and finalize them.”
Drop a pre-read in the invite or an email so attendees come ready. This will make the meeting more efficient.
Continuing the example in #1: “Please come ready to brainstorm. For inspiration, please read this document with our themes from last year. You’ll also find data on how each theme performed with our audience.”
Use only the amount of time you need to achieve the goal. Ditch standard time slots for shorter, focused sessions.
For example, make 30-minute meetings 25 minutes, and make 60-minute meetings 50 minutes. Respect participants' time and keep their energy levels high.
Get super clear on the meeting objective so that you know how much time is appropriate. Build in time for breaks, and make sure you have enough time to complete the objective without rushing. Staying focused on the objective will keep the meeting efficient.
Everyone outside of the necessary participant list can save their energy.
Look at your potential invite list and get clear on why exactly you need them at the meeting. If they are not needed, don’t include them. If someone’s presence is optional, mark them as such to give them the choice to join or not.
For in-person meetings, provide snacks, water, and a comfortable setting — including a reasonable temperature.
For remote meetings, minimize distractions and ensure technology is functional. If you’re sharing your screen, make sure that what you’re sharing is essential rather than visually distracting. Move outdoors or walk-and-talk for meetings that don’t require you to look at your computer screen.
Plan breaks according to the meeting length and intensity. For meetings longer than 90 minutes, include a 20-minute break or two 10-minute breaks. Try to end early so participants can reset before their next task.
Reiterate the goal to ground the team and set the tone. This helps your teammates stay focused on the task at hand. Confusion drains energy.
Do a quick activity like deep breathing, writing personal goals for the meeting, or a brief stretch. These help clear the mind and prepare everyone for productive engagement.
When meetings inevitably go off on tangents, set a code word that people can use to gently bring the discussion back to the agenda. At Exos, “popcorn” is a classic. Let the team help choose the word and have fun with it!
Notice if energy levels are dropping. See if people’s expressions seem lifeless, or if they seem tired and unfocused.
Offer a quick recovery activity like breathwork, a five-minute movement break, or something novel like a joke or fun story. These little breaks can re-energize your teammates and inject life back into your meeting so you can accomplish your goals.
Make sure everyone is clear on their action items. Remember: Clarity supports energy.
Ending a team meeting abruptly can make it tough for people to transition back into the rest of their days. Make sure you manage the time well to make sure the discussion comes to a clear conclusion. You can even offer a quick breathing exercise to help people wind down from the meeting.
Running an effective team meeting isn’t hard. It just takes some intentional planning and clarity.
Remember: Clarity supports energy. First, get clear on why you’re meeting. Invite only the people who need to be there. Help your team stay focused during the meeting. And finally, get clear on action items.
Take these simple steps, and your team will never dread a meeting of yours again.
And if you really want to take your leadership and team performance to the next level, learn more about Human Performance Coaching.