Michelle Banner –
Meetings are the bane of many lives, lawyers included. They’re also incredibly expensive according to an article we picked up from Alex Cavoulacos at TheMuse, which reported a US cost to one company (non law) of $15 million.
Now that, let it be said, is nuts.
Further, there is a ‘context-switching’ time involved which Professor Gloria Mark at the University of California, Irvine found took an average of 25 minutes for workers to get back in the groove after attending a meeting or similar interruption.
So what to do?
Avoid meetings? Maybe, but there are consequences. There is also an alternative.
Email is one answer.
And here are the keys that Ms Cavoulacos suggests in a meeting-avoiding email –
Logistics: why the meeting was canceled and, if it’s a recurring meeting, what to expect for next time
Action: any critical action items completed or pending
Information: any updates or general FYIs for the group
She also suggests that you don’t make the mistake of putting the action items and logistics last. Having the most critical information higher up ensures that it’s seen when your colleagues skim their email.
Hi Team,
This week’s project check-in meeting is being canceled since everything is on track and we already have alignment on next steps. I’ve included key updates below, and we’ll been meeting in person as usual next Thursday.
To-dos for this week:*
Reach out to five clients for feedback on the designs — Maria
Send final marketing plan timing for approval — Jason
Updates from this week:Marketing copy locked in
Client shortlist finalized
Budget request sent to finance team
Launch date confirmed (Nov 14!)
Thanks,
Alex
So if you’re concerned about lost productivity and fee-earning time, then seriously consider avoiding that meeting.
The time involved is well beyond meeting time alone. It is also just darned expensive.
So check the email-route instead and enjoy simply knowing that you’re accomplishing more with less. And that has to be good.
