What Percentage of the Meetings You Attend Are Productive?

If you are like a lot of people I know, you would vote right around 40% or lower. I found one study where 182 senior managers said that 71% of meetings they are in are a waste of time! That’s an amazingly low percentage, and when you think about all the time wasted in meetings it really makes you wonder how it could be done differently. I consider myself a lifelong learner, so when the opportunity came recently to improve my meeting facilitation skills and learn how to facilitate virtual meetings that require decisions in a highly productive manner, I jumped at the chance.

Over the past two weeks, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in a course titled “Collaborative Leadership,” which was a comprehensive 25-hour program spread across four days. Schwartz and Associates offered this course, and my coaches, Evan Unger and Michael O’Rourke, expertly guided the twelve participants.

The class focused on teaching skills that leaders require to steer high-stakes, collaborative meetings. The kinds of meetings where the top list of projects is decided for the year. Or the next round of features to request. Or what budget items should be considered. The course was designed to tackle the unique challenges of dispersed teams working remotely. With more than two decades of experience, the facilitators of this program have trained thousands in group facilitation, team building, and leadership. The course promised — and delivered — an excellent class on how to lead these kinds of high-stakes meetings. Something I’ve done a lot of in the past, so it was fascinating to see how others do it and learn new and very useful techniques.

The program was intensive, with two coaches for a limited group of 12 participants, ensuring personalized attention and a rich learning environment. It was ideal for anyone whose leadership reputation hinges on their ability to help teams achieve superior results and secure genuine commitment to implementation. Project managers, agile practitioners, scrum masters, Six Sigma belt holders, and leaders driving continuous improvement and change should all find this course very impactful.

The course was structured with a clear agenda for each day — we started at 7:00 AM Pacific and wrapped up by 3:00 or 4:00 PM. The first day introduced us to the core model for setting up successful meetings, teams, and projects and provided an overview of collaborative leadership and decision-making. It also included a virtual meeting simulation to practice leading a joint discussion. The following days involved baseline practice labs with videotaped sessions for feedback, a virtual technology primer, demonstrations of collaborative virtual meeting tools, and planning sessions for applying the learned skills.

What stood out to me about the course was its solid framework, known as the POPRA model, which I had not encountered despite my experience running numerous meetings. POPRA stands for Purpose, Objective, Process, Roles, and Agreements — components that create a structured approach to organizing and executing meetings. The course also introduced engaging tactics and decision-making methods, such as shared Excel spreadsheets and Mural.

Another excellent framework taught was the AREA framework that is used to help keep meetings on track and maintain control when one or more participants try to take it off track. I found this model and practice particularly useful.

Another vital aspect of the course was the practical labs, where we worked in teams to create and present using the tools we had learned. As the instructors emphasized, hands-on learning is most effective; you would never teach someone to swim by just showing them a video.

I recommend this course to anyone who frequently leads meetings requiring collaborative decision-making. The tools and knowledge provided by this class equip you to conduct such meetings with efficiency and confidence, transforming how you lead and facilitate group interactions.