[rank_math_breadcrumb]

Stop inviting everyone to your meeting!

  • York, City of York, England, United Kingdom

Author:  Leon Bamforth

Short Description

I was fantasising about a new Outlook feature today. No really, I  am that sad! Here was my fantasy, Stop inviting everyone whenever you create a new meeting event, there is a little box showing the estimated meeting cost. This cost should double as you double the length of the meeting and also double when […]

I was fantasising about a new Outlook feature today. No really, I  am that sad! Here was my fantasy, Stop inviting everyone whenever you create a new meeting event, there is a little box showing the estimated meeting cost.

This cost should double as you double the length of the meeting and also double when you add people to the meeting. I want it to come complete with a “ker-ching” sound each time it increases. Then before you send the meeting invite I want the software to ask you, “Is the problem you are trying to resolve at this meeting more valuable than the meeting cost?”

Whilst we are still meeting remotely, it is easier than ever to invite every man, woman and child* with a work email account to our meeting. At least when we were in the office, the physical size of the space we could find to have the meeting constrained our inclusive tendencies to invite everyone.
Effectively now there is no limit. Whilst attending those meetings I often whittle away the time by totting up in my head the actual cost someone is paying to enable that meeting to go ahead. Someone is paying the salary of everyone there. I then count how many of the 53 attendees actually joined in the discussion. I have been on meetings where the meeting length and the number and seniority of attendees meant the meeting cost will have run into the tens of thousands.

Stop inviting everyone to your meeting!

I’ve changed my mind. Rather than showing an estimated meeting cost we should just have a rule that the meeting organiser must eat a donut for every attendee that doesn’t speak. The first one or two will be tasty but I guarantee after donut 43 you will never invite someone “just in case” again so Stop inviting everyone.

It might feel comforting to have everyone there, “just in case” but there is always an opportunity cost for inviting people to a meeting and maybe, just maybe, they have something better to do…like their job.

The number of times I hear people say “I’m just in meetings back to back, when do I get the chance to do any work?” The point is, it can be really (really) stressful for people when they don’t feel they have time to produce some valuable output and it is incredibly demoralising. It turns out we naturally want to be valuable. That’s a good thing and we should encourage it by Stop inviting everyone.

I think we should have a meeting to discuss this proposal. Are you with me?
* If you have children working for you, there are laws against that so stop it.
Stop inviting everyone article by LEON BAMFORTH

Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter

The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Similar to Stop inviting everyone to your meeting!

Jason Hewlett | Change Your Sleep

If you’ve ever launched something as 3-2-1 Liftoff!, whether it is a basketball shot, a new business, or the 2 Liter bottle rocket for your kid’s science project, you know the arc of senses one feels in each attempt to succeed as we let go of our security and send the object into motion to […]

  • Author: Jason Hewlett
WS Logo 512

In this age of constant digital innovations and disruption with the future of events, the value of digital elements across the board has become evident. With continuous learning and development, digital activities have become ingrained in the fabric of humanity. However, it is vital, especially, in the age of information that brands and organisations lead […]

  • Author: Basilmin (Event Planer)
Kaihan Krippendorff

Last week I got to spend five and a half hours of Beyond Strategy with one of the most influential strategic thinkers alive today, Gary Hamel. He has written five global best-selling books, published 17 papers in Harvard Business Review, and has taught at London Business School for 30 years. But most importantly, Gary has […]

  • Author: Kaihan Krippendorff
WS Logo 512

If you don’t prioritise your sleep, you are putting your health at risk. Good quality Sleep Weight Health is the diet pill we’ve all been looking for, the ultimate wrinkle cream and the secret to longevity. And guess what? — it’s free!   When we think of our beds and our pillows, we often forget […]

  • Author: Joni Peddie
Mike Walsh | Between Worlds Podcast

The risks of Algorithmic Inequality Trap and discrimination and bias have received much attention and scrutiny, and rightly so. Yet there is another more insidious side-effect of our increasingly AI-powered society — the systematic inequality created by the changing nature of work itself. We fear a future where robots take our jobs, but what happens […]

  • Author: Mike Walsh
WS Logo 512

One top tip you need to maintaining a high level of engagement among all parties in any meeting is a challenge. But, doing it in a video-led environment makes the real-world challenge look like child’s play so Learn the one top tip. If you have spent any time on video calls up to now, you […]

  • Author: Shelley Walters
Ken Okel

To unlock employee motivation, you may need to change how you communicate special requests. These are things like important changes to operating processes or customer service procedures. You need people to embrace a different way of doing things. It has to be done right and it needs to be executed right away. But you notice […]

  • Author: Ken Okel
Mike Lee - The MindShift Lab - LEADING THROUGH ADVERSITY

I was concerned about working virtually and leading through adversity so In March 2020, when the world shut down and my live event calendar was wiped clean   As my speaking business went online, I wondered if it would survive the transformation. Would I still have an impact? Would I still matter? I’m sure you […]

  • Author: Mike Lee

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME