Ever been part of a meeting when you realize the topic could’ve been addressed by an email or phone call? Of course you have. You also know how pointless meetings drain time. According to Doodle scheduling software, poorly run meetings cost U.S. companies nearly $400 billion every year.

Too many meetings (never mind the bad ones) not only lead to frustration; they mean lost time that could’ve been spent meeting deadlines.

If you’re frustrated, you’re in good company

At some point, either you’ve been invited to too many meetings that don’t need your attention or you’re attending meetings that don’t quite go anywhere. Hopefully, not both. According to Christine Comaford (in “Power Your Tribe”), inefficient meetings are the result of one of four basic failures:

  • Ineffective communication: Too little organization or topic structure leads to a lot of info-sharing and point-proving with very little request for action items or next steps.
  • Everyone is invited: No one is thinking through the invitee list. Too many people on the call have nothing to do with the purpose of the meeting.
  • Unclear intention: There is no clear set of goals, a time-lined agenda, or pre-meeting information to review; no one seems to know why they are there or the purpose of the meeting.
  • No follow-up or recap: Without a follow-up or summary message of some kind, it can seem as if the meeting was either unnecessary or it barely happened.

Strategies to get down to business

To help address why meetings fall short, begin thinking about why you might want to meet in the first place. Whether you need to be looped in for status reports or gather people to spark ideas or arrive at decisions, a successful meeting always has an agenda and intention to make sure everyone knows why they’re gathering. As a way to prevent wasted time and help drive productive meetings, consider these six strategies:

  1. Invite the doers, decision-makers, and affected parties only. As a rule, the more people attending, the less will be achieved. Think carefully about what the goal of the get-together is—and then invite the people who can contribute. Consider this axiom, too: Too many cooks in the kitchen can spoil the broth.
  2. Set the agenda—and lead by example. Set the meeting’s intention in advance: what exactly do you want to accomplish? And remember, the longer the meeting, the less gets accomplished. At the beginning of the meeting, the leaders ensure that the desired outcomes are stated clearly. A great meeting needs a facilitator who helps deter or prevent anyone from straying from the agenda. If it’s your meeting, lead by example by being clear about one person speaking at a time, and helping people stay on point. If the meeting needs a bad cop, go for it: Someone needs to be willing to interrupt people who repeat what someone else has already covered.
  3. Make it comfortable for everyone to be heard. It’s important to create an environment where everyone feels safe to say what needs to be said. Everyone prefers to listen to people who are clear about what they need. Teams that collaborate well play to one another’s strengths. A well-functioning meeting is when everyone believes his or her input is valued.
  4. Avoid presumptions and blame. Do your best to stick to facts and what is known. If you need to speculate, be clear about it. No one says meetings can always be tidy, but too much speculation has a way of leading to chaos. And pointing fingers is bad form, whether you’re in a meeting or not.
  5. Seek feedback. Leaders should always ask attendees what they thought about meetings. Did they think the structure was sensible? Was the content useful? This will help improve people’s satisfaction with meetings in future.
  6. Look ahead. If participants want to build on progress made during the meeting, they should think about what they’re going to do next—as well as the immediate and long-term outcomes of the meeting. As a courtesy, share notes or action items afterward. It also loops in people who weren’t able to attend the meeting.