Why great meetings start before they begin

Most meetings fail not in the room, but around it. They collapse because there’s no clear agenda beforehand and no follow-up afterwards. 

The result is wasted time, actions forgotten, and teams left wondering what the point was.

It’s not meetings themselves that people dread, but their potential for wasted time and effort. 

This wasted time happens when leaders treat meetings as isolated events, rather than part of a wider communication cycle.

We’ll look at the habits that set meetings up for success before they start, and how to follow through afterwards so discussions translate into action.

Why meetings fail without bookends

Harvard Business Review found that managers spend up to 23 hours a week in meetings, and the majority believe they’re unproductive. 

The real issue isn’t just the time spent in the room, but the lack of structure around it. Some common issues include: 

• Meetings being dropped into calendars with vague titles like 'update' or 'catch-up', leaving people unclear why they’re there.
• Without context or preparation, conversations drift and louder voices dominate.
• Without notes, clear ownership of actions or deadlines, decisions made in meetings dissolve into thin air.

When these bookends are missing, even the best-intentioned meetings become forgettable.

The value of a meeting is determined before it starts and after it ends, not just during the time block itself.

Set meetings up for success before they start

The difference between a sharp, energising meeting and a meandering one is almost always preparation. 

Good pre-communication means people arrive ready to contribute, not just listen.

Best practices for before the meeting:

1. Define the purpose clearly. A meeting invite should answer ‘Why are we here?’ in one sentence. If it can’t, it probably shouldn’t happen.
2. Circulate a one-page agenda. Keep it simple: objectives, topics, expected outcomes. Use collaborative tools.
3. Share pre-reads in advance. Don’t waste valuable time recapping the background. Send materials 24 to 48 hours before and expect people to come prepared.
4. Clarify roles. Who’s leading, who’s contributing, and who’s there to be informed? This avoids the ‘too many people in the room’ problem.

According to Doodle’s “State of Meetings” report, unproductive meetings cost businesses $399 billion annually in the US due to lost productivity. 

That cost is preventable when preparation is treated as seriously as the meeting itself.

Lock in outcomes with post-meeting follow-up

Even a well-run meeting can unravel if nothing happens afterwards. Post-meeting communication is where decisions gain traction.

Best practices for after the meeting:

1. Send a concise summary within 24 hours. Capture three things only: decisions, owners, deadlines.
2. Make actions visible. Share notes in Slack or your project management tool so accountability is public.
3. Close the loop. Update contributors later on how their input shaped outcomes. This shows people they were heard, not just noted.
4. Carry actions forward. Start the next meeting by reviewing progress on past commitments. This builds continuity and avoids déjà vu discussions.

Without this discipline, meetings become talking shops with lots of words and little follow-through. With a little effort, meetings can drive results and get things moving. 

What happens after the meeting determines whether it was a conversation or a turning point.

Building a culture around meeting bookends

Strong meeting habits aren’t just about isolated improvements; they should become part of the culture. 

Teams that consistently prepare and follow up create a rhythm of respect and accountability.

• Feedback loop. Ask attendees if agendas and follow-ups are working. Improve over time.
• Lead by example. If leaders send concise follow-ups, others will too.
• Challenge defaults. Scrap recurring meetings that don’t justify themselves. Replace them with async updates if they don’t need real-time discussion.

Shopify famously cut 10,000 recurring meetings in 2023, asking teams to re-justify every slot. The goal wasn’t fewer meetings, but more intentional ones.

“Meetings are a bug, not a feature of work. They take up time, cause delays, and impact productivity. Most importantly, no one joined your company to sit in meetings.” - Kaz Nejatian, Chief Operating Officer at Shopify

Final word

If your team dreads meetings, the problem may not be the meetings themselves but the lack of structure before and after them. 

By treating meetings as part of a communication cycle, not an isolated event, you’ll cut wasted time and increase impact.

Book a call to find out how Vestd helps teams build ownership and alignment.