# "Meeting or Email?" exercise: when a meeting is not needed

> Learn to decide, before sending the invitation, whether a meeting is needed, who to invite and how much time to give it. 20 minutes, pairs. Flow, debrief questions a

Source: https://couchinfo.com/en/exercises/meeting-or-email/

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Exercise · Facilitation for Managers

## Meeting or Email?

Learn to decide, before sending the invitation, whether a meeting is needed, who to invite and how much time to give it.

Time **20 minutes**

Participants **Pairs**

Materials **Cards with 8 work situations**

From the training **Facilitation for Managers**

### Why this exercise

A meeting is an expensive resource: eight people for an hour at $45 an hour is $360 for one meeting. The shortest meeting is the one you don't hold. The exercise builds a simple habit: ask yourself five questions before you gather people.

### How to run it

1. Show the five questions before the invitation: what result will we have by the end; do we need to get together for it — or will an email do; who to invite; how long — 15, 25 or 50 minutes; what to send in advance.
2. Give each pair 2–3 cards with situations. For example: "The office has different opening hours over the holidays", "We need to choose which of three projects to start next quarter", "An employee has missed deadlines three times in a row", "A product launch went worse than planned".
3. 8 minutes: for each situation the pair decides — meeting, email, chat or one-to-one. If a meeting — who to invite and how long it will take.
4. 12 minutes: pairs present their decisions; the group debates the disputed cases.

### Debrief questions

- Which of your regular meetings could be replaced by an email or shortened?
- Who do you invite "just in case"?
- When is a one-to-one better than a meeting?

 **Tips for the facilitator**

- There are several right answers: what matters is that the participant explains the choice with the five questions.
- If the hourly cost in the company is different, ask the group for their own estimate. The order of magnitude matters, not precision.

This exercise is part of a training kit

#### [Facilitation for Managers](https://couchinfo.com/en/training/facilitation-for-managers/)

2 days · 13 hours · 18 exercises · trainer guide with what to say, slide deck, workbook, cards and tests.

 [The kit from $229](https://couchinfo.com/en/training/facilitation-for-managers/)

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### Similar exercises

 [The whole library](https://couchinfo.com/en/exercises/)

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