daniel chigunwe
Tariro Manamike
I have attended meetings that started and ended on time, stuck to the agenda and managed to keep everyone focused on achieving clear goals.
No fluff, no wasted energy—just productive discussions that made us feel we had accomplished something tangible. These meetings set the bar high for how a meeting should be run.
But then there are the other meetings—the ones that look fine on paper but derail the moment they start. An agenda may be set, but discussions quickly veer off course, wandering into every possible direction except forward. No clear decisions are made, and no meaningful progress is achieved; people zoning out, or just tired and hungry.
Throughout these long, drawn-out sessions, I cannot help but wonder: Does everyone here really need to be sitting through this?
The presentations often do not help either. Some presenters dive into unnecessary detail or show up unprepared for questions, responding repeatedly with “I will have to get back to you on that.”
And each time I witness this, I cannot help but think—are managers trained in the art of impactful presentations or effective meeting leadership? Are productive meetings just becoming a “tick-the-box-exercise”?
The problem with typical meetings
Typical meetings are plagued by several time-wasting habits that make it easy to lose track of the agenda. Here is a snapshot of where many meetings go wrong:
1.Wandering conversations: Topics tend to drift and before you know it, everyone’s deep into a debate about something unrelated.
2.Unclear goals: Sometimes meetings are held without a real objective. People leave wondering why they were even there.
3.Overloading attendees: A meeting with too many attendees creates too many voices, which can dilute the focus and sidetrack decisions.
4.Weak accountability: Often, no one is assigned ownership of action items, leading to unresolved issues and endless follow-ups.
5.Presentation overload: Some meetings rely heavily on presentations, dragging on as slides are read verbatim. But what if meetings did not have to be this way? What if we could turn them into true productivity powerhouses, like some of the most innovative companies out there — think Amazon and Apple. These companies run meetings with a focus on precision, purpose and accountability, and it is worth exploring their secrets to make 2025 the year of productive, impactful meetings.
Case studies: Amazon’s and Apple’s meeting models
Both Amazon and Apple have developed streamlined, no-nonsense approaches to meetings that keep things efficient and effective. Here’s a look at their methods:
1. Amazon’s narrative memos and “Two-pizza rule”
Amazon kicks off meetings with a written six-page memo instead of slides. Attendees spend the first 20-30 minutes reading the memo in silence, ensuring everyone is on the same page and ready to dive into real discussion. This way, participants can come up with questions, ideas, or insights, and skip the redundancy of long explanations.
Amazon also follows the “two-pizza rule,” meaning a meeting should only include as many people as two pizzas can feed. By keeping the group small, they avoid the chaos that comes with too many voices and focus on actionable goals with only the key players present.
2. Apple’s directly responsible individual (DRI) and no powerpoint rule
Apple assigns a Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) for each task on the agenda. This person owns the item, meaning it is their responsibility to address it during the meeting and ensure follow-through afterward. This system of accountability is incredibly effective at ensuring things get done and reduces the chances of tasks falling through the cracks.
Also, Apple discourages slide-based presentations in meetings. This practice pushes everyone to engage directly with the discussion, making sure meetings focus on substance rather than style.
Practical tips for running meetings that matter
Now, let’s get practical with some meeting strategies we can all adopt in 2025. If we want to run productive, impactful meetings, here are some steps to make that happen:
1. Set a clear agenda with defined outcomes
Every meeting should have a specific agenda with clear goals. By defining the outcomes upfront, you help everyone understand why they are there and what is expected by the end of the meeting.
2. Keep the group lean
Borrow from Amazon’s “two-pizza rule”: only include people whose input is essential. This ensures focused discussions and reduces distractions.
3. Assign accountability for every item
Adopt Apple’s DRI approach. Assign someone as the owner of each agenda item so that follow-ups are clear, and action items do not get lost in the shuffle.
4. Prioritise silent reading for complex information
Instead of spending half the meeting explaining details, provide pre-meeting materials or memos for attendees to review silently at the beginning. This way, everyone can start on the same page and the focus can be on discussion and problem-solving.
5. Limit presentation time
When presentations are necessary, keep them concise. Emphasise discussion and engagement rather than passively moving through slides. This keeps the energy up and ideas flowing.
6. Set a time limit and stick to it
Start on time, end on time. Time limits encourage concise communication and prevent tangents. Let everyone know upfront that this is a hard rule — it helps keep everyone on track.
7. Recap and assign action items before ending
Conclude each meeting by recapping the key decisions, action items, and the responsible individuals.
This recap solidifies outcomes and reinforces accountability.
Revamp for 2025: Making every meeting count
As we prepare for a new year, consider this a call to rethink our meetings. By adopting some of these simple yet impactful techniques, we can ensure that each meeting has real purpose, clear accountability and achieves tangible results.
Meetings do not have to be dreaded time-fillers or formalities; they can be where the real work gets done.
So, here is to making 2025 the year we reclaim our time and make every minute in a meeting actually count. Let us make sure our meetings serve us, not the other way around.
Tariro Manamike is a seasoned media and public relations professional with over a decade of experience in broadcast journalism and strategic communication. She is passionate about human-centred design, business communication, and their impact on the bottom line. Tariro writes in her personal capacity and can be reached at [email protected]
Bongani Ndlovu