Meetings are a staple of business life, with time spent in meetings increasing by 10 percent every year since 2000. Unproductive meetings, however, have become a massive problem, due in large part to a heavy reliance on email communication for scheduling, poor planning and inefficient processes. As Doodle’s Q2 2020 State of Meetings report reveals, meeting size, duration, times of day and notice etiquette are crucial factors that influence the overall effectiveness of meetings.
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Doodle analyzed more than 30 million meetings booked worldwide on Doodle during the second quarter of 2020 and found that the one-hour meeting duration isn’t as common or popular as it once was. Only 20 percent of the meetings were booked for one hour. However, it’s become increasingly popular to keep meetings shorter in length – ideally, for 30 minutes (36 percent) or 15 minutes (31 percent). This strategy of limiting the length of meetings can be instrumental in increasing participants’ focus, making better use of their time and driving better outcomes.
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Additionally, nearly half (44 percent) of the group meetings scheduled in Q2 2020 were limited to four to seven people. Doodle’s data reinforces Google Co-Founder Larry Page’s philosophy that small groups of people can have a really huge impact. This was particularly relevant in Q2 2020, when COVID-19 forced organizations to adopt fully remote working models and online meetings became the only way to connect and engage with teams, colleagues and clients.
“Our data shows that the number of virtual group meetings rose 109 percent in Q2 2020,” said Renato Profico, CEO of Doodle. “Video-enabled online meetings require our full attention and can be draining. Often, they can make participants feel a myriad of emotions, such as anxiety, stress and exhaustion. So, attending fewer, unnecessary meetings will not only help keep business meetings more focused and effective, but will also help employees combat Zoom fatigue, which can take a serious toll on their productivity and mental wellbeing.”
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