Research Highlights Benefits of Bosses Talking Less and Listening More in Meetings

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A growing field of meeting science finds that leaders who talk less and listen actively enhance meeting effectiveness, while aimless meetings harm productivity. Inclusive approaches and pre-meeting socializing also improve engagement.

Nearly one billion meetings occur globally each day, with executives spending much of their time in such gatherings. Despite their prevalence, clear guidance on what makes meetings effective has only recently emerged from the specialized field of meeting science, now expanding rapidly thanks to large datasets from virtual meeting archives. Researchers define meetings as goal-oriented group interactions and study them to understand teamwork, leadership, and communication dynamics.

Studies show that meetings fulfill essential human needs for connection and cooperation, yet many suffer from poor planning and dominant speakers. Organizational psychologist Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock and colleagues found that effective leaders engage in respectful, attentive inquiry rather than just asking questions without truly listening. Active listening—giving thoughtful feedback rather than merely acknowledging—is critical but often lacking, especially in virtual meetings where participants mute microphones and reduce interactive cues.

Lehmann-Willenbrock and coauthor Liana Kreamer recommend that leaders prepare well by setting clear agendas, inviting only necessary participants, and starting and ending meetings on time. Small talk before meetings, often missing online, helps introverted individuals contribute more fully. Techniques like silent brainstorming, where all participants add ideas simultaneously to a shared virtual space, foster inclusiveness and counteract reticence.

New research highlights the effects of meeting practices on neurodiverse workers with ADHD, indicating these individuals may experience greater fatigue and emotional strain during prolonged meetings, especially with video on. Allowing multitasking during meetings might alleviate some negative impacts for them.

After meetings, successful teams communicate action items clearly and evaluate engagement and effectiveness. Despite frequent complaints about meetings, a large Norwegian study linked meeting intensity with wage growth and learning, suggesting meetings can facilitate valuable knowledge transfer.

Other factors influencing meeting success include appropriate humor to build rapport among familiar participants, thoughtful scheduling avoiding times of low energy, and cultural differences in perceptions of punctuality. The field calls for more global studies to verify if best practices from Europe and North America apply universally.

Overall, meeting science emphasizes that leaders should talk less and listen more, facilitate inclusive participation, and eliminate purposeless meetings to maximize productivity and employee wellbeing. These findings encourage organizations to rethink meeting culture rather than accept current inefficiencies as inevitable.