You've thought carefully whether you need the meeting to begin with. You do.
You've thought about the agenda. You wrote it down on the meeting invite.
You've considered all the people you'd need in this meeting. You sent an invite only to them.
And you've attached all the materials everyone will need during the meeting. Because you don't want to waste time during the meeting reviewing those, you've even included a helpful "Please review before the meeting" note.
Yet somehow, five minutes into the call, someone cheerfully announces "I haven't had a chance to look at this yet. Can you walk us through it?"
And just like that, your strategic discussion becomes a reading session. The people who did their homework sit there watching their preparation time wasted while you read documents that should have been consumed beforehand.
This hits differently for people who need extra processing time or rely on assistive technology to review materials. They've likely spent considerable effort preparing, only to find themselves trapped in an impromptu tutorial for those that came unprepared.
But that's not even the most frustrating part.
The most frustrating part is when the conversation is dominated by people asking basic questions that were answered in the very documents they ignored. Meanwhile, thoughtful participants who came ready to build on those documents find themselves back at square one.
Some people genuinely get swamped and can't prepare. It happens to everyone. But there's a difference between "I couldn't finish reading everything" and "I didn't bother looking at anything because I figured you'd explain it anyway."
If you can't be bothered to prepare, don't waste everyone else's preparation. Just don't show up.
Okay, okay, I know I'm being mean. It's a problem of course, but not one you can't solve. Here's how I've seen it done - and it works!
- Start the meeting with a prep-check. Just ask people if they had a chance to review the materials. If key people haven't prepared, reschedule on the spot rather than proceeding with a compromised discussion.
- Set a "no catch-up" policy. Establish upfront that meetings won't include reading sessions for unprepared attendees. If someone hasn't reviewed materials, they can listen and learn but shouldn't expect explanations of basics covered in the prep work.
- Assign specific prep responsibilities. Instead of general "please review," you can give people specific sections or questions to prepare. "Sarah, focus on the budget section and come ready to discuss feasibility. Gary, review the timeline and flag any conflicts." This creates accountability.
I should say it's important to send the materials ahead of time, at least 48 hours ahead of time. People need realistic time to prepare, especially those who may need assistive technology or extra processing time. Send them the night before the meeting and it's on you people haven't reviewed them.
Just keep in mind that meetings are for making decisions together not for reviewing already available material.