Limiting Meeting Length & Size Proves Useful in Banishing Unproductive Meetings

NEW YORK, Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Meetings are a staple of business life, with time spent in meetings increasing by 10 percent every year since 2000. Unproductive meetings, however, have become a massive problem, due in large part to a heavy reliance on email communication for scheduling, poor planning and inefficient processes. As Doodle's Q2 2020 State of Meetings report reveals, meeting size, duration, times of day and notice etiquette are crucial factors that influence the overall effectiveness of meetings.

Doodle analyzed more than 30 million meetings booked worldwide on Doodle during the second quarter of 2020 and found that the one-hour meeting duration isn't as common or popular as it once was. Only 20 percent of the meetings were booked for one hour. However, it's become increasingly popular to keep meetings shorter in length - ideally, for 30 minutes (36 percent) or 15 minutes (31 percent). This strategy of limiting the length of meetings can be instrumental in increasing participants' focus, making better use of their time and driving better outcomes.

Additionally, nearly half (44 percent) of the group meetings scheduled in Q2 2020 were limited to four to seven people. Doodle's data reinforces Google Co-Founder Larry Page's philosophy that small groups of people can have a really huge impact. This was particularly relevant in Q2 2020, when COVID-19 forced organizations to adopt fully remote working models and online meetings became the only way to connect and engage with teams, colleagues and clients.

"Our data shows that the number of virtual group meetings rose 109 percent in Q2 2020," said Renato Profico, CEO of Doodle. "Video-enabled online meetings require our full attention and can be draining. Often, they can make participants feel a myriad of emotions, such as anxiety, stress and exhaustion. So, attending fewer, unnecessary meetings will not only help keep business meetings more focused and effective, but will also help employees combat Zoom fatigue, which can take a serious toll on their productivity and mental wellbeing."

Highlights from the Q2 2020 trend report include:

• The rise of a virtual-only meeting era: Virtual board/shareholder meetings and conferences became increasingly commonplace, as the number of virtual group meetings rose by 109 percent quarter-over-quarter. Meanwhile, virtual one-to-one meetings jumped 136 percent, driven in large part by an increased demand for frequent check-ins during COVID-19.
• A meeting notice period of 5-10 days is the norm, with the rare exception of less than 24 hours' warning: The most common notice period given ahead of meetings is five or more days (66 percent), followed by 10+ days (42 percent) and 15+ days (28 percent). But urgency occasionally calls for meetings to be scheduled with less than 24 hours' warning.
• Americans love meetings, but do meetings love them?: There is no time in the workday when Americans are less likely to have meetings, except for 12:00 pm noon when there was a slight dip to 9 percent. But then the percentage of meetings jumped up to 13 percent just one hour later, at 1:00 pm. This shows a clear pattern: Americans are always meeting and always working. Meanwhile, Thursday dominates as the most popular meeting day.
• Morning meetings are not welcome in the United Kingdom: Although the British are early risers, they don't schedule meetings during that time. Instead, afternoon meetings in the middle of the week are their sweet spot.
• Germans are punctual and weekend warriors: More than half (57 percent) of German meetings occur between 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm, leaving the mornings to complete more focused, 'deep' work. Surprisingly, weekend meetings are more common in Germany than in the US and other European countries.

Renato Profico concluded: "The report's findings illustrate just how important and complicated meetings actually are. Thinking it's as simple as completing one task or using one tool is where many people go wrong. Rather, it requires a holistic approach - from considering factors, such as meeting size, duration, notice period and time, to implementing the right technology to optimize processes, save time and, ultimately, enable teams, colleagues and clients to work more collaboratively across the entire meeting lifecycle."

To learn more about how Doodle can make the scheduling process effortless and seamless for your organization, request a demo.

About Doodle

Doodle is the leading enterprise scheduling technology helping the world's largest brands instantly set meetings with clients, colleagues and teams. Tapping into the unique nature of smart scheduling with AI and chatbots, Doodle simplifies the planning of 1:1 and group meetings for professionals. As the world's most trusted online scheduling platform, Doodle has more than 30 million monthly active users. Part of the Swiss media group TX Group, Doodle AG is headquartered in Zurich, with offices in Berlin, Atlanta, New York City and Belgrade.

SOURCE Doodle

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