From the agenda to the speaking order, leaders often plan meetings carefully. But one thing that frequently gets overlooked is the attendance list. Sometimes, it feels easier for the organizer to just invite an entire team or several — both to ensure that the right people will be there and to avoid offending anyone. But that can cause big problems: people who aren’t able to contribute might feel disgruntled, others might participate in ways that aren’t relevant, and some may feel you’re wasting their time. What happens when you realize you’ve miscalculated and there are just too many employees in the room? Here are a few ways to recover:
What to Do When Your Meetings Have Gotten Too Big
You have three options.
March 25, 2019
Summary.
Meetings with too many people aren’t productive. So what do you do when you find that you’ve miscalculated on the number of attendees at yours? One strategy is to shift the purpose of the meeting to match the size of the group. If you have 18 or fewer people, you could brainstorm; if you have more, turn it into an information-sharing session. You can also create sub-groups, assigning different teams to different tasks. A final option is to shorten or cancel the meeting and reschedule, with a smaller guest list, for a later date.
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New!
HBR Learning
Team Management Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Team Management. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Build a better team and achieve more of what matters.