This simple change can help you have more effective meetings—and avoid unnecessary ones, says organizational psychologist

Related Stories"This meeting could've been an email."It's a thought you've probably had before. While effective meetings can support employee engagement, alignment and decision-making, people are often roped into meetings that feel unnecessary. That can eat into precious time to get work done.Ideally for a meeting, "a decision needs to be reached that couldn't be reached without having all those people together," says Laura Vanderkam, author of several books on time management and productivity. Instead, for many, "all the reason that the meeting is happening is because it's Thursday at 10 a.m."Everyone should know going into a meeting why it's necessary, what it should achieve and what the agenda is, Vanderkam says. But too often it's unclear why a meeting is happening, or what objectives it should achieve.Making one small swap to the agenda can help you have more effective meetings and curb unnecessary ones, according to Steven Rogelberg, Chancellor's Professor at UNC Charlotte teaching organizational science, management and psychology and author of two books on meeting science."Instead of framing your agendas for meetings as a set of topics to be discussed, consider framing your agendas as a set of questions to be answered," he says."By framing your agenda as questions, now you have to really stop and think, why am I having this meeting?" he adds. "By framing your agenda as questions, you have a better sense of who has to be there because they're relevant to the questions. By framing your agenda as questions, you know if the meeting has been successful or not, if the questions have been answered."And if you can't think of any questions? "It likely means you don't need a meeting," says Rogelberg.Besides canceling or declining unnecessary meetings, you can still improve necessary ones by shortening them or reducing them in size or frequency in many cases."It seems crazy that all business decisions would be reached in exactly 30 or 60 minutes," Vanderkam says.Want to give your kids the ultimate advantage? Sign up for CNBC's new online course, How to Raise Financially Smart Kids. Learn how to build healthy financial habits today to set your children up for greater success in the future. Use coupon code EARLYBIRD for 30% off. Offer valid from Dec. 8 to Dec. 22, 2025. Terms apply.CNBC Select is editorially independent and may earn a commission from affiliate partners on links.Get Make It newsletters delivered to your inboxLearn more about the world of CNBC Make It© 2025 Versant Media, LLC.

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