Bad Meetings Happen to Good People
How to Run Meetings That Produce Results
By Leigh Espy
Category: Communication Skills | Reading Duration: 16 min | Rating: 4.3/5 (47 ratings)
About the Book
Bad Meetings Happen to Good People (2017) is a practical guide for anyone who wants to plan and lead more effective meetings. It offers clear strategies for avoiding wasted time, keeping meetings on track, and ensuring that every gathering delivers real value. Whether you're running the meeting or just attending, it shows you how to make the experience more productive and less painful.
Who Should Read This?
- Team leaders who run frequent meetings
- Professionals tired of unproductive meetings
- New managers learning to lead effectively
What’s in it for me? Simple habits to fix frustrating meetings
Meetings take up a huge part of the workday, but too often they leave people wondering why they’re there in the first place. Some drag on; others get hijacked, go off track, or end without a single clear outcome. It’s frustrating to watch time slip away with nothing to show for it.Most meetings fail because no one’s clear on the goal, the plan, or even the point. A little structure goes a long way: when a meeting has a purpose, a focused agenda, and someone guiding the conversation, it can help people do their jobs better. It brings clarity, speeds up decisions, and moves things forward rather than just filling up another hour.This Blink offers simple steps for making meetings more productive from start to finish. It shows you how to decide whether a meeting is needed, how to plan one that stays on track, and how to follow up so actions actually get done. It also gives practical ways to deal with common problems like dominating voices and circular conversations without awkwardness.If your calendar’s packed with meetings, here’s your chance to make them better.
Chapter 1: Some meetings don’t need to happen at all
Meetings are everywhere, but that doesn’t mean they always make sense. Just because something’s important doesn’t mean it needs to be discussed in a room (or on Zoom). Before you book time on anyone’s calendar, ask yourself one thing: do we really need to talk about this live?If the goal is simply to share information, email might be the smarter move. So might a post in your team’s chat or project space. You’ll save people time, and they’ll thank you for it. But if the topic is sensitive or likely to raise questions, don’t hide behind a screen. People appreciate the chance to ask questions, see body language, and feel like they’re being treated with respect.When a decision needs to be made, a meeting can help – but only if the right people are in the room. If the person who can say yes or no isn’t there, you’re probably just spinning your wheels. The same goes for planning sessions. These are most useful when people come ready to roll up their sleeves. Keep the group small. Get everyone involved. Use whiteboards, shared docs, sticky notes: whatever helps people think out loud and build on each other’s ideas.Brainstorming works best when you’re chasing something new. A different angle, a fresh solution, a better way of doing things. You’re not looking for polish. You’re looking for a spark, so invite people with unusual perspectives, not just the usual suspects.Some meetings are about gathering input. You might need insights from a range of departments, or perspectives from people closer to the front lines. That’s totally valid. But without clear focus, these conversations can drift. Someone needs to steer, and a calm, firm facilitator can keep things on track without killing the vibe.Status updates sit in their own little category. Some managers want regular reports in meetings, others would rather skim an email. Know your audience. If you do hold a meeting, make it snappy. No long rundowns. No going around the room for the sake of it. Share what matters, ask for what you need, and move on.The real trick to good meetings, in short, is knowing when not to have one. If the goal is clarity, action or connection, go for it. But if you’re just following a habit, hit pause. Meetings should be tools, not reflexes, and they’re best used sparingly.
Chapter 2: Good meetings start before anyone enters the room
The difference between a calm, focused meeting and a flustered waste of time usually comes down to what happened beforehand. If you want your meetings to be productive and your presence in them to build trust, influence and momentum, preparation is the baseline.Start by being clear on why you’re calling the meeting. Is there a decision to make? A plan to shape? A problem to solve? If you’re just doing it because it’s that time of the week again, you might be about to waste everyone’s time. Meetings without purpose go nowhere. People show up unprepared or unclear and you end up rehashing old conversations. If you know what you want the group to walk away with, everything else flows more easily.Once you’ve set the purpose, turn that into a clear agenda. Keep it short and to the point. Lead with verbs like “decide,” “approve,” or “review,” so people know what’s expected of them. If you need background info to be read in advance, send it. Don’t rely on everyone magically arriving informed. That’s a gamble, not a strategy.When scheduling, question the default one-hour block. Just because Outlook says 60 minutes doesn’t mean that’s what you need. If the meeting goal can be tackled in 30, schedule 30. People are more focused when time is tight and clear. Parkinson’s Law is real: give a task too much time, and it’ll stretch to fit.Plan logistics like someone who’s done this before. That means checking the room or link ahead of time, testing the tech, printing materials early, and knowing who’s attending and what role they’ll play. If someone’s only available for part of the session and has something essential to share, put them at the top of the agenda. If your group has a habit of getting stuck, start with a quick win to build momentum.And finally, give yourself breathing room. Show up early. Set up calmly. Greet people. When you’re composed, your team feels it. You’re in control of the room from the moment the meeting begins, not scrambling to catch up. That calm confidence is noticed.People often judge your leadership not by what you say, but by how you run a meeting. Good prep makes you look sharp, keeps things moving, and helps your team get real work done. So take the time to get it right before anyone even walks through the door.
Chapter 3: Active leadership makes meetings flow
Once the meeting starts, the preparation is behind you. Now it’s about guiding the conversation, keeping things moving, and making sure the time is used well. A good meeting needs a steady hand. Not rigid control, but clear direction that helps everyone stay focused on what matters.Begin by reminding people why they are there. The agenda may already have been shared, but a short, confident recap sets the tone and helps ground the discussion. It also shows that the meeting has a purpose. If the goal is to make a decision, say so. If the group is there to shape a plan or weigh options, make that clear. When everyone understands the outcome you are aiming for, it is easier for them to engage and contribute in a meaningful way.Stick to the agenda, but use your judgment. Some discussions need time to develop, especially if people are exploring new ideas or reaching consensus. If the conversation is still moving forward, let it continue. But if things start circling or wandering off-topic, step in and bring the group back to the main point. You can always suggest revisiting a topic later or setting up a follow-up conversation with a smaller group.Watch for balance in the room. If only a few people are speaking, invite others in. A simple question like “What do you think, Alex?” can open up the conversation. Some people need a prompt to join in, especially if they are processing quietly or waiting for space to speak. If a comment is unclear or the group seems confused, ask for clarification or offer a short summary to keep things moving.Pay attention to how the group is feeling. Conflict can be useful when it is respectful, but if the tone shifts or energy drops, step in to reset. Notice body language, not just what is being said. If someone looks uncertain or disengaged, give them an opportunity to share their thoughts. These small moments help keep the meeting connected and productive.When a topic is complete, wrap it up clearly. Summarise what was decided, highlight any action items, and move on. Meetings feel better when they stay purposeful from start to finish.And that’s the takeaway: well-run meetings are focused, fair, and energizing. People leave knowing what happened, what comes next, and that their time was well spent.
Chapter 4: The meeting’s only truly over when the follow-up is done
The meeting might be over, but the work definitely isn’t. What happens after the session is just as important as what happened in it. If you want your meetings to actually lead to progress, not just polite nodding and forgotten promises, you need to close the loop.Start with your meeting notes. Don’t wait. Get them out while the discussion is still fresh in your mind. Include the date, time, attendees and, most importantly, key decisions and next steps. You’re not writing a transcript. You’re creating a clear, high-level summary of what got done and what happens next.Make it easy for people to know what they’re responsible for. Action items should be front and centre, not buried in a document no one reads. A smart move is to put them in the body of your follow-up email with names and deadlines attached. That way, even if people ignore the attached notes, they’ll still see what’s required from them.If someone missed the meeting, still send them the notes. That saves you time having to fill people in one by one. If you’re not 100 percent sure your notes are perfect, call them a draft and ask for corrections within a day or two. Quick, tidy follow-up like this keeps the energy going and builds your reputation as someone who knows how to run a tight ship.But don’t stop there. People get busy. A task that seemed clear in the moment can vanish under a pile of other priorities. Check in with those responsible for action items before their deadlines hit. A short, friendly nudge is all it takes. Something as simple as, “Just checking if you need anything to finish this up on time,” keeps things moving and shows that follow-through matters.Set up a simple tracking system to keep tabs on tasks, deadlines, and owners. Use Excel, Trello, or whatever works. Include those “parking lot” items too. These are the ideas that didn’t fit in the meeting but still deserve attention. If you said you’d follow up, do it.And finally, if you want to get better at leading meetings, ask for feedback. Pick someone who’ll be honest, not just polite. Ask what worked and what didn’t. Then actually use what you hear. It’s a small thing that builds trust and shows you’re serious about improving, not just ticking boxes.
Chapter 5: Fixing common issues starts with speaking up clearly
Even the best-planned meeting can run off the rails if you don’t stay on top of common issues that drain focus and waste time, and frustrate the group. Knowing how to spot and handle these moments can make a big difference in keeping things productive. Let’s start with the meeting hijacker. You know the type. They dominate the discussion, jump from point to point, and leave no space for others to contribute. Don’t let one loud voice take over the room. Gently paraphrase their main point to show you’ve heard them, then invite others in with something simple like, “Let’s hear a few different perspectives.” That resets the balance without shutting anyone down. In large groups, time-boxing helps. Let people know upfront that you want to hear from everyone, so you’ll be keeping contributions brief. You can use a timer if it suits your team culture, or just set the tone by modelling short, sharp comments. And yes, skip this move with senior leaders unless they’ve signed off on the approach.Then there’s the multitasker: the one glued to their phone or laptop while the meeting carries on around them. If it’s your peer, ask them directly for input to bring them back into the moment. If it’s your boss, you probably have to let it slide. Either way, setting group norms at the start helps. A statement like, “Let’s stay present so we can finish faster,” goes a long way.Conflict is trickier. Some tension is healthy: it means people care. But once the tone shifts into irritation or defensiveness, it’s your cue to step in. Watch body language, listen to tone, and don’t ignore signs that the group is heading into unproductive territory. If things heat up, bring it back to the goal. If that doesn’t help, suggest a follow-up offline or flag that the group needs more time or information to reach a decision.If the conversation gets stuck on the same points and arguments, call it out. Say what you’re seeing. Suggest next steps. Identify what’s missing. Sometimes the group doesn’t realise it’s spinning until someone names it.Most meeting problems are solvable with calm, clear facilitation and a bit of tact. You don’t need to be heavy-handed. You just need to steer with intention. When you do, everyone else feels the shift and your meetings get better fast.
Final summary
In this Blink to Bad Meetings Happen to Good People by Leigh Espy, you’ve learned that meetings only work when they serve a clear purpose. If a quick message will do, skip the calendar invite. But when real-time input or collaboration is needed, preparation matters. Define the goal, create a focused agenda, and get logistics sorted early. During the meeting, steer with intention. Keep discussion on track, invite a range of voices, and manage disruptions calmly. Afterward, follow up fast. Great meetings don’t just feel productive – they actually move things forward.Okay, that’s it for this Blink. We hope you enjoyed it. If you can, please take the time to leave us a rating – we always appreciate your feedback. See you in the next Blink.
About the Author
Leigh Espy is a project management and leadership coach with a background in both corporate and nonprofit settings. She has led large-scale international projects and worked closely with teams at all levels, from technical staff to senior executives. Bad Meetings Happen to Good People is her first book.