The Great Meeting Makeover: Turning Time Drains Into 5-Star Moments
Rate Your Last Meeting
If you had to rate your last team meeting on a 5-star scale, what would it be?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = purposeful, engaging, productive.
⭐️⭐️ = another hour you’ll never get back.
Most organizations don’t stop to calculate the real cost of meetings. A one-hour meeting with 8 people making $60,000 a year costs more than $230. Run that meeting weekly, and you’ve spent over $12,000 annually on just one recurring slot.
Pair that with research showing more than 60% of meetings are unproductive, and you quickly see the problem: meetings aren’t free. They’re one of the most expensive activities on your calendar — and too often, they don’t deliver.
Why Meetings Fail
We’ve all been in meetings that:
Circle the same issues without resolution.
One or two voices dominate them.
End without clear decisions or next steps.
Think to ourselves, “This could have been handled in an email”.
These patterns erode morale, waste resources, and create what we call “meeting fatigue.”
The 4Ps of a Great Meeting
Through our work with leaders and teams, we’ve found that successful meetings consistently align with four principles:
Purpose – Every meeting should answer the question: Why are we here?
Preparation – Agendas, roles, and materials should be set before anyone walks in.
Participation – Everyone in the room deserves a voice, not just the loudest few.
Productivity – Meetings must end with decisions, ownership, and deadlines.
These sound simple, but when applied consistently, they transform the way people experience meetings.
Participation Boosters That Work
One of the cleverest shifts we’ve seen is using small techniques to amplify voices and keep discussions balanced:
Round-robin updates ensure everyone contributes.
Silent brainstorming avoids groupthink and creates space for introverts.
One-breath updates keep contributions concise and on point.
Even small cues can make meetings more dynamic and inclusive.
A Story That Sticks
One of our favourite examples came from Fairmont, where a horse statue sat in the middle of the table. If the group began “beating a dead horse” by revisiting the same issue over and over, someone would simply tip the horse over.
It was lighthearted, visual, and practical — a perfect reminder that even serious conversations benefit from creativity and humour.
The Mini Meeting Makeover
Here’s a simple exercise you can try right now:
Choose one recurring meeting you run or attend.
Apply the 4Ps: Purpose, Preparation, Participation, Productivity.
Redesign it for efficiency and engagement.
Commit to making one tangible change this week.
Then, ask your team to rate the meeting on a 1–5 star scale. That quick pulse-check will tell you if your changes are making an impact.
Final Thought
Meetings aren’t going away. But they don’t have to be time drains. With a little structure, a little creativity, and a lot of intentionality, they can become engines of alignment, clarity, and momentum.
And who knows — your next meeting might just earn five stars.