Eight Ways to End Meeting Misery

Meetings should be where work happens, not where productivity goes to die. Yet, too often, they drain people’s energy instead of driving results. If your organization’s meetings are plagued by not-so-subtle multitasking, vague agendas, or the same three people doing all of the talking, you have plenty of company. Ineffective meetings are a major frustration for leaders and employees alike. Making small, intentional changes can transform meetings from tedious obligations into high-impact conversations — but most leaders don’t know how to get there.

How do we ensure that meetings foster actual engagement? How do we encourage candid, productive debate without creating conflict? How do we encourage people to speak up about the elephant in the room? These are the kinds of questions that leaders grapple with daily.

Novel answers, based on research and real-world lessons, can reshape how your team runs meetings. So to help you break free from meeting misery, we’ve gathered eight essential insights from MIT SMR’s expert contributors. Whether you’re looking to sharpen decision-making, spark more meaningful dialogue, or hold fewer (but better) meetings, this advice will set you on a more productive path. Which of these strategies will you put into action?

1. Call B.S. on multitasking. 

“How do we get to a tech-free environment in meetings where people’s full attention is crucial? Announce clear expectations and expect pushback."

“Start with a statement that devices are to be turned completely off. Alternatively, allow technology, but only for very clearly stated purposes, like note-taking or looking at something when instructed to. And be prepared to call people out. (Let’s be real: There is a lot of lying about ‘only using it for note-taking.’)"

“In virtual meetings, where you can’t control others’ device access, being serious about this means calling people out publicly (‘Jim, are you focused on something else right now?’) or privately later (‘Jim, I noticed you very often appeared to be looking at other devices or typing during the meeting. I don’t want to see that again.’)"

Read the full article, Are You Being a Nice Jerk? by Jim Detert.

2. Choreograph the meeting — don’t wing it. 

“Choreographers carefully consider the number of dancers on the stage, the sequence of movements, and the set. Just as dance integrates these elements, so, too, does meeting choreography: A leader can shape the conversational space before, during, and after a discussion, thereby influencing the acceptance of key decisions, the performance of critical personnel, and team spirit."

“My research suggests that to enhance meeting choreography, leaders should focus attention on why (why are we having the meeting?), who (who should attend?), what (what should we discuss?), when (when should the discussion take place?), where (where should the meeting be held?), and how (how should the meeting be conducted?). When you address all six critical dynamics, the likelihood of a post-meeting kerfuffle dramatically decreases. Leaders often struggle with three of these factors in particular: who, why, and how.”

Read the full article, Hard Truths About the Meeting After the Meeting, by Phillip G. Clampitt.

3. Assign a critical reviewer. 

“Introducing a critical reviewer changes the entire dynamic of a meeting: Teams become more deliberate, and discussions go deeper. The critical reviewer’s primary responsibility is to challenge assumptions, ask probing questions, and ensure that every angle is explored before a decision is made. This role not only fosters better outcomes but also creates an environment in which people feel encouraged to think critically and contribute meaningfully.”

Read the full article, Why Meetings Need a Constructive Devil’s Advocate, by Chidiebere Ogbonnaya, Benjamin Laker, Jintao Lu, and Kalu A. Nduka.

4. Recognize the realities of virtual meeting side chats. 

“There may be a time and place for certain forms of energized dissent in side chats. For more reticent voices, or for those operating in environments that discourage opposing viewpoints, this practice may help a participant test a perspective or think through a counterargument in a way that does not disrupt the flow of a meeting. On the other hand, if these comments are not eventually voiced in the main meeting, these side chats can lead to the creation of negative subcultures. In other words, side chats can become less of a means to seek shared perspectives and more of a way to channel, or even give rise to, discontent.”

“To be clear: The existence of dissenting voices themselves isn’t a problem. Rather, it’s problematic when widely held below-the-surface dissent builds up and is never expressed publicly to leadership or to those beyond a certain side-chat group.”

Read the full article, Side Chats During Online Meetings: A Minefield for Leaders, by Adam J. Copeland.

5. Confront the elephant in the room. 

“When people avoid discussing difficult topics in meetings — perhaps out of fear of conflict or discomfort with the power dynamics — tensions will rise. Consider, for example, a team that struggles to make decisions and cracks jokes during meetings to avoid the issue at hand each time a decision must be made: Problems or concerns remain unaddressed, potentially leading to bigger issues later on, and the team struggles to move forward.”

“For leaders, addressing the emotional impact this behavior is having on the meeting without blaming others is important. The leader can voice their own frustration to dissipate the tension and open a conversation. This can also deepen the connections within the team. To get the job done, you might need to incorporate a conversational device or even a physical prop."

“At one consumer goods company, for example, team members agreed that whenever anyone sensed an unaddressed concern, they’d raise their hand and announce, “Elephant in the room.” To underscore this approach, the team even bought a plush pink elephant to place on the meeting table. Deliberately spotlighting this behavior and highlighting a desired action helped to disarm team members and pave a path toward action.” 

Read the full article, Four Ways to Energize Your Dull Team Meetings, by Alexander Loudon.

6. Ask questions that make people speak up. 

“One of the most common missteps leaders make is asking broad, nonspecific questions like ‘What do you think?’ or ‘Does anyone have any input?’ While these questions might seem open and inviting, our research found that they had just a 51% chance of receiving any dissent. These questions are easy for people to ignore or answer passively, particularly in hierarchical settings where subordinates may feel vulnerable.”

“More effective questions directly invite disagreement. Instead of asking, ‘Does anyone agree with this plan?’ consider asking, ‘What could go wrong with this approach?’ or, ‘What are the potential risks we haven’t considered?’ Questions like these make clear that the leader is actively seeking alternative and potentially challenging perspectives. This subtle shift frames disagreement as something the leader desires — and people are wired to give leaders what they want. Constructive challenges then become a welcome part of the conversation rather than an act of defiance. Such direct solicitation of dissent increased the likelihood of a challenge to over 60%, demonstrating that leaders need to be deliberate and clear about asking for alternative perspectives.” 

Read the full article, Five Ways Leaders Can Get People to Speak Up, by Celia Moore and Kate Coombs.

7. Make debate feel encouraged. 

“As CEO of Red Hat, [Jim] Whitehurst thought of himself as the company’s head debater: He was engaging in candid discussions on important topics and making sure others did the same. He recalled that IBM was different: ‘I’d walk in a meeting at IBM … and everybody tried to say, “OK, what kind of mood is he in?” And then it’s like they wanted to structure things around what I wanted to hear.’" 

“To counterbalance employees’ desire to agree with the boss, Whitehurst would sometimes argue the opposite side of what he believed. Once team members realized that he was using that tactic, they felt more comfortable sharing their candid opinions. Whitehurst and his second-in-command made a conscious effort to model the kind of open debate they expected from the team. When IBM employees saw two leaders who respected each other engaging in heated exchanges but walking out of the room as friends, they realized that respectful disagreements were not just acceptable but encouraged.” 

Read the full article, Five Tips on Avoiding ‘Terminal Niceness’: Former Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst, by Donald Sull and Charles Sull.

8. Implement meeting-free days.

“While it may seem counterintuitive, our research concluded that having too many meetings detracts from effective collaboration, derails workers during their most productive hours, and interrupts people’s train of thought. Consequently, removing 60% of meetings — the equivalent of three days per week — increased cooperation by 55%. Workers replaced meetings with better ways of connecting one-on-one, at a pace suitable for them, often using project management tools to aid communication. In doing so, the risk of stress decreased by 57%, which improved employees’ psychological, physical, and mental well-being.” 

Read the full article, The Surprising Impact of Meeting-Free Days, by Benjamin Laker, Vijay Pereira, Pawan Budhwar, and Ashish Malik.