9 Tips to Run a Highly Effective Meeting, Backed by Science

Meetings can be terrifying, especially when you don't have a plan! Learn how to run your meeting effortlessly and effectively!

Surveys suggest that only about half of meeting time feels effective and engaging. That adds up fast: unproductive meetings cost U.S. businesses upwards of $375 billion per year. Meanwhile, 71% of senior executives say meetings are unproductive and inefficient.

For most of us, this isn’t a surprise. Without clear purpose, leadership, or organization, a bad meeting can drag on forever.

Effective meetings, however, leave everyone feeling organized, motivated, and clear on what needs to happen next. They build team identity, spark creativity, and deliver actionable results.

Here’s how to run a meeting that actually gets things done—using research-backed strategies to empower your team toward your business goals.

What Is an Effective Meeting?

An effective meeting is a structured gathering with a clear purpose that produces tangible outcomes, decisions, or action items. It goes beyond simply covering agenda items quickly—truly effective meetings deliver results everyone can act on.

Effective meetings should:

• Define a collective identity and help each person understand their role within the team
• Inspire creativity and cooperation
• Turn individual ideas into actionable solutions
• Clarify collective goals and deadlines so each person sees their part in achieving them

Humans are wired to be social. For thousands of years, people have gathered in small groups or larger “tribal” meetings to discuss matters of importance—from business to family to community.

No matter how much technology enters our daily lives, meetings remain vital for accomplishing shared visions. Meetings define both the cultural and strategic frameworks for workplaces.

Whether remote or in-person, effective meetings are essential for teamwork and productivity.

Efficient meetings finish fast. Effective meetings finish with a clear, usable result.

Everyone should leave knowing three things: what to do, how to do it, and when it’s due.

Step-by-Step Guide to Conducting a Meeting

To get the most from the time you pay for, organize the meeting before you walk in. Here’s a step-by-step approach that covers everything from planning to follow-up:

Step 1: Define the Meeting Objectives

Successful meetings have a clear purpose. Without an objective, there is no reason for holding a meeting.

As a leader, differentiate between essential communications (which can happen through email, Slack, or phone) versus strategic meetings that accomplish important goals—like project planning, solving a problem, setting goals, making decisions, or mapping out a customer journey.

There are two primary types of meetings:

1. Routine meetings (ex: Monday morning recaps, Friday team meetings)
2. Strategic meetings (ex: task force meetings, problem-solving, creating plans)

Although each type runs differently, both require an objective. Jot your objectives down and send them with the agenda so everyone arrives on the same page.

Be clear and concise with your meeting objective:

• Brainstorming session for reducing customer cart abandonment
• Exploring third-party solutions to increase efficiency in online search traffic
• Presenting first quarter project progress and determining next steps
• Hindsight meeting with key stakeholders to celebrate wins and identify improvement opportunities

If you can’t describe why you’re holding a meeting in a sentence or two, you probably don’t need the meeting.

The meeting objective should include results-oriented terms and actionable goals. There may be several goals within the larger objective, but define all of them for the team ahead of time.

This is your north star—the guiding purpose of the meeting.

Step 2: Create an Agenda and Send Calendar Invites

Your agenda is like a compass pointing toward that north star objective. Without it, the team feels like a ship lost at sea.

Time is precious. An agenda should directly support progress toward your objectives. Sticking to a meeting agenda also demonstrates effective leadership, which builds trust and dedication from your team.

Find a balance between too short (not covering everything) and too long (derailing into off-topic tangents).

Sample Meeting Agenda:

• Introduction/call to the meeting (2 minutes)
• Review previous meeting notes (2 min.)
• Present objective or problem at hand (3 min.)
• Open discussion or brainwriting session (10 min.)
• Report from team 1 (10 min.)
• Questions for team 1 (3 min.)
• Report from team 2 (10 min.)
• Questions for team 2 (3 min.)
• Updates from leadership (5 min.)
• Closing statements / clarify actions, responsibilities, and deadlines (5 min.)

This agenda reflects a complex team project with 10 or more people. A smaller team won’t need as much time.

In general, meetings should never last more than 60 minutes—people lose focus and interest. Keep it short and to the point. You can always continue the discussion later.

Bonus Tip for Introverts: If you have introverts on your team who need to speak up, use the agenda to give them prep time. Introverts appreciate being able to prepare for speaking or brainstorming sessions.

Step 3: Select the Right People and Assign Roles

Meetings are expensive and time-consuming. Avoid inviting anyone who isn’t needed to achieve the meeting objective.

At the same time, ensure you have enough participants for productive discussion with diverse perspectives. A good meeting strikes a balance between minimizing attendees and maximizing the creative potential of a group.

Harvard Business Review has an excellent Meeting Cost Calculator to help figure out who belongs on your attendee list.

Key Roles to Assign:

• Facilitator: Who will lead the discussion and keep things on track?
• Decision-makers: Who has authority to make final calls?
• Notetaker: Who will record ideas, decisions, and action items?
• Timekeeper: Who will monitor the agenda and signal when time is running out?

Running a project-management meeting? Ask one key stakeholder from each department to report. Give every speaker a strict time slot on the agenda.

The notetaker is also responsible for sending out a meeting recap with actions, responsibilities, and deadlines agreed upon during the meeting.

Step 4: Run the Meeting

Once everyone is present, it’s time to execute:

Opening the Meeting: To call a meeting to order, use a clear, professional statement: “Good morning, everyone. Let’s get started. The purpose of today’s meeting is [state objective].”

For formal meetings using Robert’s Rules of Order, the chair says: “The meeting will come to order.”

During the Meeting:

• State the objective clearly at the start
• Review the agenda briefly
• Move through each agenda item, respecting time limits
• Encourage participation from all attendees
• Use the “parking lot” technique for off-topic ideas (more on this below)
• Keep energy up with varied activities and engagement

Step 5: Close Strong with Actions, Responsibilities, and Deadlines

The most effective meetings come to a crux at the very end. Before the meeting adjourns, align on:

• Actions: What specifically will get done? What are the key deliverables?
• Responsibilities: Who will accomplish each action?
• Deadlines: When is each item due? Where should people report their progress?

If you skip this part, the entire meeting was in vain. People need crystal clear direction for what to do next.

Also discuss the general timeframe for your next meeting.

Most importantly, thank everyone for coming and acknowledge their contributions. Always end on a positive note.

Step 6: Follow Up

Within 24 hours after the meeting:

• Send meeting notes to all attendees
• Include action items with assigned owners and deadlines
• Highlight key decisions made
• Note any items “parked” for future discussion
• Confirm the date and topic of the next meeting

Using Robert’s Rules of Order

For formal meetings—especially board meetings, committee meetings, and organizational gatherings—Robert’s Rules of Order provides a structured framework for fair, efficient proceedings.

Robert’s Rules of Order is a parliamentary procedure guide first published in 1876 by Henry Martyn Robert. It establishes ground rules for how meetings should be conducted, how decisions get made, and how disagreements get resolved democratically.

When to Use Robert’s Rules

Robert’s Rules work best for:

• Board of directors meetings
• Committee meetings
• Annual general meetings
• Any formal meeting requiring recorded votes
• Situations where fairness and procedure are paramount

For informal team meetings or brainstorming sessions, strict parliamentary procedure may slow things down. Use your judgment based on the meeting’s purpose.

Key Principles of Robert’s Rules

1. One topic at a time: Only one motion can be considered at a time
2. One speaker at a time: Members must be recognized by the chair before speaking
3. Majority rules: Decisions are made by majority vote
4. Minority rights protected: Everyone gets a chance to be heard
5. All members are equal: Each person has equal voting rights

Basic Meeting Structure Under Robert’s Rules

1. Call to order: Chair announces the meeting has begun
2. Roll call: Record attendance
3. Reading and approval of minutes: Review previous meeting notes
4. Reports: Hear from officers and committees
5. Old business: Address unfinished items from previous meetings
6. New business: Introduce and discuss new items
7. Announcements: Share relevant information
8. Adjournment: Formally close the meeting

Handling Meeting Motions

Understanding motions is essential for anyone running formal meetings. A motion is a formal proposal for the group to take action or make a decision.

How to Make a Motion

When making a motion, stand (if in person), wait to be recognized by the chair, and state: “I move that [specific action].”

For example: “I move that we approve the marketing budget as presented.”

Another member must then say: “I second the motion.”

After a second, the chair restates the motion and opens discussion. When discussion ends, the chair calls for a vote.

Types of Motions

Main Motion: Introduces new business. Example: “I move that we hire a consultant for the website redesign.”

Amendment: Modifies a motion under consideration. Example: “I move to amend the motion by adding ‘not to exceed $10,000.’”

Motion to Table: Postpones discussion. Example: “I move to table this motion until our next meeting.”

Motion to Call the Question: Ends debate and forces a vote. Example: “I call the question.”

Running a Meeting with Motions

1. A member makes a motion
2. Another member seconds it
3. The chair restates the motion
4. Discussion follows (stay on topic)
5. The chair calls for a vote when discussion ends
6. Results are announced and recorded

Popular Meeting Frameworks: 5 P’s, 10-10-10 Rule

Beyond Robert’s Rules, several frameworks help leaders run effective meetings.

The 5 P’s of Effective Meetings

1. Purpose: Why are we meeting? What outcome do we need?
2. Participants: Who needs to be there? (And who doesn’t?)
3. Process: How will we structure the discussion?
4. Preparation: What should attendees do beforehand?
5. Payoff: What tangible result will come from this meeting?

Before every meeting, answer these five questions. If you can’t clearly answer “Purpose” and “Payoff,” reconsider whether a meeting is necessary.

The 10-10-10 Rule

Some organizations use the 10-10-10 rule: meetings should be 10 minutes for updates, 10 minutes for discussion, and 10 minutes for decisions. This forces brevity and action-orientation.

The 40-20-40 Rule

Another framework suggests:

• 40% of meeting success comes from preparation
• 20% comes from what happens during the meeting
• 40% comes from follow-up actions

This reminds leaders that the meeting itself is only part of the equation—preparation and follow-through matter just as much.

The “Silent Start” Strategy (The Amazon Method)

Here is a surprising truth: Sometimes, the best way to start a meeting is with silence.

At Amazon, meetings don’t start with small talk or PowerPoint. They start with silence. Jeff Bezos famously implemented a rule where the first 20 minutes of high-level meetings are spent silently reading a detailed memo about the topic at hand.

As Bezos explained in Amazon’s 2017 shareholder letter: “We don’t do PowerPoint (or any other slide-oriented) presentations at Amazon. Instead, we write narratively structured six-page memos and silently read one at the beginning of each meeting in a kind of ‘study hall.’”

Why does this work? Science shows we read faster than we listen.

The average person speaks at about150 words per minute, but we can read at nearly 238 words per minute. When you force someone to present a slide deck, you are actively slowing down information transfer.

Furthermore, immediate discussion often leads to anchoring bias. The first person to speak sets the “anchor” for the conversation, and everyone else unconsciously adjusts their opinions to match that first comment.

Try a “Silent Start” for your next strategic meeting:

• Write a 1–2 page memo outlining the context, data, and proposed solution
• Send it out, but assume nobody read it (because let’s be honest, they probably didn’t)
• Set aside the first 10 minutes for silent reading
• Open the floor—you’ll notice discussion is immediately deeper, richer, and less prone to groupthink because everyone is operating from the same facts

Stop Brainstorming, Start “Brainwriting”

If you want to generate ideas, the worst thing you can do is ask the group to “shout them out.”

While brainstorming was popularized in the 1950s, decades of research shows that verbal group brainstorming is often flawed due to “production blocking.” While one person is talking, everyone else is blocked from sharing. They either forget their ideas, lose confidence, or succumb to groupthink.

As organizational psychologist Adam Grant put it in his TED Talk on original thinkers: “The widely celebrated technique of brainstorming doesn’t unleash creativity. It blocks it.”

The Fix: Brainwriting

Brainwriting separates idea generation (best done alone) from idea evaluation (best done in a group).

How to run a Brainwriting session:

1. The Prompt: State the problem clearly
2. The Solitude: Set a timer for 5 minutes. Everyone writes down as many ideas as possible—silently—on sticky notes or a shared document. No talking allowed
3. The Share: Once the timer rings, post all ideas on a board (physical or digital)
4. The Discussion: Now the group can discuss, group, and vote on the ideas

By switching to Brainwriting, you ensure extroverts don’t dominate the floor and you capture the unique brilliance of the quietest people in the room.

Hack Your Schedule with Parkinson’s Law

Have you ever noticed that if you schedule a meeting for an hour, it takes exactly an hour? Even if you only had 20 minutes of content?

This is Parkinson’s Law in action. As British historian C. Northcote Parkinson wrote: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

If you give your team 60 minutes, they will subconsciously fill that space with chit-chat, circular debates, and “umms” to justify the time block.

The Fix: The “Weird Time” Strategy

Stop scheduling meetings on the hour or half-hour. Instead of 30 minutes, schedule it for 22 minutes. Instead of an hour, make it 48 minutes.

1. It grabs attention: When a calendar invite pops up for 1:12 PM, people notice. It signals, “This is precise, and every minute counts.”
2. It creates urgency: A shorter, specific deadline forces everyone to focus on the essentials immediately.
3. It allows for transitions: Ending 10 minutes early gives your brain a “cognitive switch” period before the next task, preventing burnout.

Want to Save Time? Stand Up

If you really want to cut meeting times, take away the chairs.

It sounds drastic, but it works. A study from Washington University found that standing during meetings increases group arousal and reduces territorial behavior, improving collaboration.

When we sit, we get comfortable. We settle in. We check our phones under the table.

When we stand, our bodies are primed for action. The research showed groups who stood were more engaged and less possessive of their ideas than those who sat.

The “Huddle” Rule: If the meeting is a status update or quick check-in (15 minutes or less), make it a standing rule—literally. Remove the chairs from the room or hold the meeting in a hallway. You’ll be amazed at how much faster people get to the point when their legs are getting tired.

Build Psychological Safety for Bold Ideas and True Teamwork

Collaboration can only happen when people feel safe and comfortable. As Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson explains: “I’ll define psychological safety as a belief that it’s absolutely okay, in fact it’s expected, to speak up with concerns, with questions, with ideas, with mistakes.”

Ineffective meetings allow one person or a handful of people to dominate the conversation while others sit on the sidelines.

A great meeting invites a feeling of safety by welcoming new ideas and removing the fear of public criticism.

Research highlighted in Harvard Business Review shows that high-performing teams foster psychological safety through trust, openness to curiosity, and avoiding punishment for mistakes.

Pro Tip: The most productive teams receive appreciation regularly. Learn more about the 10 Must-Know Productivity Secrets of High Performing Teams.

To run effective meetings, be a positive leader who is collaborative and kind:

• Use positive reinforcement to recognize achievements rather than magnifying shortcomings
• Never publicly reprimand an employee in front of the team
• Avoid blaming any specific team or individual for a problem—publicly blaming individuals significantly erodes trust and confidence in a leader. Instead, opt for curiosity and stay solution-oriented
• Ask for feedback. Asking for feedback increases people’s trust in their leaders

Create a Comfortable Ambiance

Workplace surveys indicate that around a third or more of workers are unhappy with aspects of their office ambiance.

Nobody wants to meet in a dimly lit, cold, dreary board room.

Create a pleasant ambiance (open windows, a decorated room) or consider providing beverages to help people relax. Details like temperature, light, comfortable chairs, and indoor plants can help create calmer, more effective meetings.

Consider an Icebreaker

For meetings where you want to encourage bonding and creativity, try a specifically chosen icebreaker. Want to level up your meeting game? Whether working remotely or in person, choosing the right communication tool is vital for optimum collaboration.

Essential Tactics to Keep Your Meeting Focused and Productive

After all this planning, how do you keep everyone on topic and focused for the whole duration?

One industry survey reported that executives consider 67% of meetings to be failures.

Failed meetings stem from lack of clear objectives, poorly planned agendas, bad discussions, an unengaged team, or all of the above.

Regardless of the problem, it’s generally your job as the leader to fix it. Keep participants on track by laying ground rules and keeping things interesting.

Pro Tip: Some meetings crash and burn due to a phenomenon known as Zoom Fatigue. Here’s how to combat it: Scientific Tips to Beat Zoom Fatigue, According to Your Personality

Use a “Parking Lot” for Tangents

One of the hardest parts of running a meeting is cutting someone off when they have a good idea that happens to be off-topic. You don’t want to be rude, but you also can’t let the meeting derail.

Enter: The Parking Lot.

This is a designated space (a corner of the whiteboard, a Google Doc, or a sticky note on the wall) where you “park” ideas that are interesting but not relevant to the current objective.

When someone starts spiraling into a side topic, validate and redirect in one sentence: “That is a fascinating point, but it’s outside our scope for today. Let’s put that in the Parking Lot so we don’t forget it, and we can circle back at the end if we have time.”

This makes the speaker feel heard (increasing psychological safety) without letting them hijack the agenda.

Handling Difficult Situations and Off-Topic Discussions

Even with the best preparation, challenges arise. Here’s how to handle common difficult situations:

The Dominator: One person monopolizes discussion. Solution: Thank them for their input and say, “I’d like to hear from others. [Name], what are your thoughts?”

The Silent Member: Someone never contributes. Solution: Invite them specifically: “Sarah, you have experience with this. What’s your perspective?”

The Conflict: Two people argue. Solution: Acknowledge both views, then redirect: “You both raise valid points. Let’s focus on finding a solution that addresses both concerns.”

The Tangent Train: Discussion keeps veering off-topic. Solution: Use the parking lot consistently and say, “Great point—let’s capture that and stay focused on [agenda item].”

The Late Arriver: Someone habitually arrives late. Solution: Start on time regardless. Recap briefly when they arrive, but don’t restart. Consistency trains people to show up promptly.

Beat “Proximity Bias” in Hybrid Meetings

If you have a mix of people in the conference room and people on Zoom, you risk a psychological trap called Proximity Bias.

Our brains prioritize people we can physically see and touch. In hybrid meetings, folks in the room naturally make more eye contact with each other, crack inside jokes, and accidentally ignore the floating heads on the TV screen.

Research from Harvard Business Review suggests up to one-third of meetings may be unnecessary—and hybrid meetings especially suffer from engagement problems.

If you are the leader, you must be the bridge. Here’s how to level the playing field:

• The “Remote-First” Rule: Always ask for input from remote participants before asking people in the room. This signals the remote team is a priority, not an afterthought.
• Buddy Up: Assign an in-person “avatar” for remote attendees. If someone on the screen raises their digital hand but goes unnoticed, their in-room buddy can speak up: “Hey, I think Sarah has a comment.”
• Eye Contact Equality: Don’t look at your laptop; look at the camera lens. It feels unnatural at first, but to the remote person, it looks like direct eye contact.

Pro Tip: Want more engaging online video call tips? Check out this article: Amazing Tips to Look Good on Zoom and Have Better Videos

Keep Your Team Engaged

To run an effective meeting, your team needs to be engaged.

Good meetings are stimulating and provide mental energy.

Here are tips for leading engaging meetings:

• Vary your tone and pace—don’t drone on in a monotone
• Use visuals or slides on a screen
• Keep the meeting short and to the point
• Ask questions periodically so participants can contribute and remain interested

Research suggests that using video in remote meetings can increase engagement by enhancing social presence, though it may contribute to fatigue in some contexts.

Drawing in virtual attendees through regular question asking (“Leah, could you share your thoughts on this?”) is especially important in remote meetings.

Running Board and Committee Meetings

Board meetings and committee meetings require additional formality and documentation. Here’s how to run them effectively:

Before the Board Meeting

• Send the agenda and supporting documents at least one week in advance
• Include financial reports, committee reports, and any items requiring votes
• Confirm quorum requirements (the minimum number of members needed to conduct business)
• Prepare any motions that will be proposed

During the Board Meeting

1. Call the meeting to order once quorum is established
2. Approve the agenda
3. Review and approve minutes from the previous meeting
4. Hear officer and committee reports
5. Address old business (items tabled or postponed from previous meetings)
6. Address new business (new proposals, discussions, decisions)
7. Set date for next meeting
8. Adjourn

Board Meeting Best Practices

• Use a consent agenda for routine items that don’t need discussion (members approve them all at once unless someone requests an item be pulled for discussion)
• Allocate time limits for each agenda item
• Ensure proper documentation of all votes and decisions
• Send minutes within 48 hours while memory is fresh

Meeting Scheduling: When to Meet

The timing of the meeting should be chosen based on what needs to get done.

Research shows that analytic tasks and executive functions are often best in the mornings for morning-types when prefrontal activity peaks. However, creative insight may benefit from off-peak times.

Some research suggests creative problem-solving, particularly insights, may be better at off-peak times of day for some individuals—possibly because reduced cognitive control allows for more divergent thinking.

Don’t forget to consider time zone differences (if you’re a remote team) and respect other calendar items within your organization.

Keep the agenda as simple as possible to maintain engagement. Each agenda item should have a specific time allotment so everyone knows their constraints for discussions or presentations.

Meeting Mini-FAQ

How do you run a meeting effectively?

The best meetings are highly organized ahead of time. Define a clear objective, create an agenda, and send both with your calendar invites. Invite only relevant team members and keep the meeting time as brief as possible to retain engagement. End every meeting with actions, responsibilities, and deadlines to get your team crystal clear on what needs to get done.

How do you conduct a meeting?

Conducting a meeting should always be done from a servant leadership mindset. Approach your team with kindness and create a culture of trust where everyone feels safe to speak and participate. Remain positive and inspiring while speaking with authority and focusing on the objectives. Stay true to your agenda to respect everyone’s time.

How do you conduct a meeting using Robert’s Rules of Order?

Call the meeting to order, confirm quorum, and follow the structured agenda: roll call, approval of minutes, reports, old business, new business, and adjournment. For decisions, use the motion process: a member makes a motion, another seconds it, discussion follows, then the group votes.

What do you say to call a meeting to order?

The chair simply states: “The meeting will come to order.” For less formal settings: “Let’s get started. The purpose of today’s meeting is [state objective].”

What are the 5 P’s of effective meetings?

Purpose (why we’re meeting), Participants (who needs to be there), Process (how we’ll structure discussion), Preparation (what attendees should do beforehand), and Payoff (what tangible result will come from this meeting).

How to Run a Meeting Takeaways

If you’ve been nervous about running a meeting, remember that most of the work happens beforehand through organization and schedule planning.

1. Define clear objectives: Know exactly why you’re meeting and what outcome you need
2. Create an agenda and send calendar invites: Give everyone a roadmap and time to prepare
3. Build psychological safety: Create an environment where everyone feels comfortable contributing
4. Select the right people and assign roles: Invite only who’s needed; assign facilitator, notetaker, and timekeeper
5. Use proven techniques: Try silent starts, brainwriting, standing meetings, and the parking lot method
6. Close with actions, responsibilities, and deadlines: Everyone should leave knowing what to do, who’s doing it, and when it’s due

Most meetings feel scattered and wasteful. Set yourself apart as a strong leader by putting in the work upfront. Ready to master meetings? Take our free quiz to uncover your leadership style and get personalized tips!