These 6 Trends Could Change the Future of Meetings Forever

Meetings have always been a staple of office culture, and the rise of conference calls and teleconferences has made them more accessible than ever. But most companies still have a meeting problem; it’s estimated that nationwide, companies waste more than $37 billion on unproductive meetings.

So what trends are driving the future of meetings, and how are business owners and decision makers making positive changes to curtail this waste?

The Future of Meetings

These are some of the most important trends to watch:

1. Interactive technology. First, there’s the emergence of more interactive technology. Conference calls have been around for decades, but today’s workers have access to chat apps and video conferencing apps that can be accessed on the fly. These tools are still new to many businesses, which means team leaders haven’t found the best way to utilize them yet; they’re still experimenting with new platforms, or using inappropriate tech for certain types of meetings. Finding the right collection of technologies and getting all your team members on board are crucial for establishing a more productive, collaborative meeting environment.
2. Distraction-free settings. Team leaders are also looking for ways to eliminate distractions in meetings. Our abundance of technology enables us to meet in more productive, innovative ways, but it also calls our attention away from central conversations. Plus, the ability to meet on the go can make distracted, busy workers more likely to be involved in traffic accidents. Tomorrow’s leaders are going to take more efforts to create distraction-free settings for meetings.
3. Spatial flexibility. Technology has made us less patient, and given us far more professional flexibility. Our meeting spaces are going to need to evolve to match those expectations. Rather than having one large meeting room in one building, tomorrow’s leaders will be relying on an assortment of different meeting rooms. They may be smaller, or may rely on coworking spaces (or unconventional spaces, like cafes), but they’ll be far more accessible to a remote workforce, and far more convenient for a working population that’s always on the go.
4. Time reduction. There’s no getting around it; we’re spending far too much time in meetings. When we set meetings for an hour, they almost always last an hour (or longer). When we set them for 30 minutes, we somehow miraculously get things done in 30 minutes. In the future, meetings are going to get shorter and more concise, packing more productive conversation into smaller and smaller scheduling spaces. Ultimately, it’s going to save companies hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars.
5. Teambuilding. Meetings are important because they bring people together, so if those people aren’t familiar with each other, or if they don’t get along, it’s nearly impossible to have a productive meeting. That’s why team leaders of the near future are going to be spending more time on teambuilding, facilitating healthier interpersonal dynamics that make meetings much more successful in the long run. Teambuilding during a meeting isn’t possible (without wasting the time of non-participatory attendees), so this one will have to unfold outside the meeting room.
6. Ongoing optimization. Finally, we’re going to see more people focused on the ongoing optimization of their meetings. Until recently, meetings were viewed as a practical necessity—a kind of sunk cost in the time budget for an office. Today, they’re seen as a largely wasteful activity that needs to be trimmed and pruned like an overgrown hedge. Managers and team leaders will be working extra hard to find new ways to optimize their meetings, whether it’s recruiting a different team, setting new agendas, or integrating a new technology.

Balancing Tradition and Progress

Many team leaders are unwilling to radically change their meeting habits because they’re used to an older process; for example, you might have had a standing 30-minute morning meeting every day for the past several years, so it’s hard to take it away or make it shorter. However, if you want to start cutting costs and making your meetings more productive, you’re going to have to find a balance between tradition and progress—and these trends should be able to guide you to a better place.