Best Ways To Improve Team Meetings For Better Communication

Ever notice how some leaders seem to have a sixth sense for meeting dynamics while others plow through their agenda oblivious to glazed eyes, side conversations, or everyone needing several "bio breaks" over the course of an hour? Research tells us executives consider 67% of virtual meetings failures, and a staggering 92% of employees admit to multitasking during meetings. After facilitating hundreds of in-person, virtual, and hybrid sessions, I've developed my "6 E's Framework" to transform the abstract concept of "reading the room" into concrete skills anyone can master. (This is exactly what I teach leaders and teams who want to dramatically improve their meeting and presentation effectiveness.) Here's what to look for and what to do: 1. Eye Contact: Notice where people are looking (or not looking). Are they making eye contact with you or staring at their devices? Position yourself strategically, be inclusive with your gaze, and respectfully acknowledge what you observe: "I notice several people checking watches, so I'll pick up the pace." 2. Energy: Feel the vibe - is it friendly, tense, distracted? Conduct quick energy check-ins ("On a scale of 1-10, what's your energy right now?"), pivot to more engaging topics when needed, and don't hesitate to amplify your own energy through voice modulation and expressive gestures. 3. Expectations: Regularly check if you're delivering what people expected. Start with clear objectives, check in throughout ("Am I addressing what you hoped we'd cover?"), and make progress visible by acknowledging completed agenda items. 4. Extraneous Activities: What are people doing besides paying attention? Get curious about side conversations without defensiveness: "I see some of you discussing something - I'd love to address those thoughts." Break up presentations with interactive elements like polls or small group discussions. 5. Explicit Feedback: Listen when someone directly tells you "we're confused" or "this is exactly what we needed." Remember, one vocal participant often represents others' unspoken feelings. Thank people for honest feedback and actively solicit input from quieter participants. 6. Engagement: Monitor who's participating and how. Create varied opportunities for people to engage with you, the content, and each other. Proactively invite (but don't force) participation from those less likely to speak up. I've shared my complete framework in the article in the comments below. In my coaching and workshops with executives and teams worldwide, I've seen these skills transform even the most dysfunctional meeting cultures -- and I'd be thrilled to help your company's speakers and meeting leaders, too. What meeting dynamics challenge do you find most difficult to navigate? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments! #presentationskills #virualmeetings #engagement

I’ve been thinking a lot about the 90 minute virtual meeting paradox. We spend the first 30 minutes on welcoming everyone and introductions, the next 15 on framing, and then a few people share thoughts. Then, just when the conversation gets meaningful, the host abruptly announces "We're out of time!” and throws a few rushed closing thoughts and announcements together. Sound familiar? We crave deep, meaningful, trust-based exchanges in virtual meeting environments that feel both tiring and rushed. It seems like as soon as momentum builds and insights emerge, it’s time to wrap up. Share-outs become a regurgitation of top-level ideas—usually focused on the most soundbite-ready insights and omitting those seeds of ideas that didn’t have time to be explored further. And sometimes, we even cite these meetings as examples of participation in a process, even when that participation is only surface level to check the participation box.  After facilitating and attending hundreds (thousands?) of virtual meetings, I've found four practices that create space for more engagement and depth: 1. Send a thoughtful and focused pre-work prompt at least a few days ahead of time that invites reflection before gathering. When participants arrive having already engaged with the core question(s), it’s much easier to jump right into conversation. Consider who designs these prompts and whose perspectives they center. 2. Replace round-robin introductions with a focused check-in question that directly connects to the meeting's purpose. "What's one tension you're navigating in this work?" for example yields more insight than sharing organizational affiliations. Be mindful of who speaks first and how difference cultural communication styles may influence participation.  3. Structure the agenda with intentionally expanding time blocks—start tight (and facilitate accordingly), and then create more spaciousness as the meeting progresses. This honors the natural rhythm of how trust and dialogue develop, and allows for varying approaches to processing and sharing.  4. Prioritize accessibility and inclusion in every aspect of the meeting. Anticipating and designing for participants needs means you’re thinking about language justice, technology and materials accessibility, neurodivergence, power dynamics, and content framing. Asking “What do you need to fully participate in this meeting?” ahead of time invites participants to share their needs. These meeting suggestions aren’t just about efficiency—they’re about creating spaces where authentic relationships and useful conversations can actually develop. Especially at times when people are exhausted and working hard to manage their own energy, a well-designed meeting can be a welcome space to engage. I’m curious to hear from others: What's your most effective strategy for holding substantive meetings in time-constrained virtual spaces? What meeting structures have you seen that actually work?

I've carefully observed hundreds of team meetings across industries, and one pattern emerges with striking consistency: the level of frustration team members feel leaving a meeting directly correlates with how clearly everyone understood why they were there in the first place. In one organization I worked with, weekly team meetings had become so unfocused that people openly admitted to bringing other work to complete while "listening." The meeting culture had deteriorated to the point where even the leader dreaded convening the team. Sound familiar? What transformed this team wasn't elaborate techniques or technology—it was implementing what I now call the "Purpose-Process-Outcome" framework. Before every meeting, this framework asks three deceptively simple questions: PURPOSE: Why are we meeting? What specific need requires us to gather synchronously rather than handling this asynchronously? PROCESS: How will we use our time together? What structures and activities will best serve our purpose? OUTCOME: What tangible result will we have produced by the end of this meeting? How will we know our time was well spent? When we implemented this framework with that struggling team, the transformation was remarkable: Meetings shortened from 90 minutes to 45. Participation increased dramatically. Most importantly, team members reported feeling that their time was respected. What made the difference? Each person walked in knowing exactly why they were there and what their role was in creating a specific outcome. One team member told me: "I used to leave meetings feeling like we'd just wasted an hour talking in circles. Now I leave with clear action items and decisions we've made together." Another unexpected benefit emerged: the team began to question whether meetings were always the right solution. They discovered that about 30% of their previous meeting time could be handled more efficiently through other channels. The framework forces clarity that many leaders avoid. When you can't clearly articulate why you're gathering people, what you'll do together, and what you'll produce, it's a signal to pause and reconsider. I've found that when team leaders commit to this framework, they stop being meeting facilitators and become architects of meaningful collaboration. The shift is subtle but profound—from "running" meetings to designing experiences that accomplish specific goals. What's your best tip for making meetings more productive? Share your wisdom in the comments. P.S. If you’re interested in developing as a leader, try out one of my Skill Sessions for free: https://lnkd.in/d38mm4KQ