92% Of Employees Multitask During Meetings — Here's How To Turn Online Calls Into Simple Emails

The percent of virtual meetings surged from 48% successful 2020 to 77% successful 2022, a logical consequence of nan displacement towards distant activity and integer relationship platforms that we've knowledgeable successful caller years.

But here's nan pickle – only 30% of those meetings are considered productive. In fact, galore executives and labour consciousness that a important accusation of them could personification been replaced by emails. Even worse than antecedently modular on-site meetings, online calls glue you to a instrumentality and rob you of valuable face-to-face narration pinch colleagues.

So, if we each spot nan evident problems pinch this mode of communication, why do we cling to it?

My extended acquisition successful productivity hunt and optimization has shown that galore online calls tin beryllium efficaciously replaced by emails (or different intends of asynchronous communication). Here's really to do it and execute accrued productivity (and trim gathering fatigue) for your team.

1. Master nan creation of clear and concise emails

While online meetings are undoubtedly basal for analyzable discussions, lengthy explanations, aliases situations requiring squad input, they are often overused.

People often opt for online meetings retired of fearfulness of misinterpretation aliases deficiency of clarity. Ironically, these calls are often followed by emails summarizing nan chat and confirming agreements successful writing.

As agelong arsenic you cognize really to represent clear and action-oriented emails, calls are often an unnecessary step. These are immoderate powerful email penning principles that personification saved maine hours of futile online meetings:

• Clear and circumstantial taxable lines thief to categorize accusation successful nan inbox. For example, don't conscionable represent "Monthly Report" successful nan taxable line, but beryllium circumstantial astir which play and which study you're referring to.
• Use paragraph spacing and slug points to building accusation into easy digestible chunks. Limit paragraphs to 2-3 sentences for amended readability.
• Be nonstop and action-oriented to make it clear what action is required and from whom. Use action verbs for illustration "review," "approve," "respond," aliases "schedule."
• Avoid agelong introductions and pleasantries; ideally, authorities your intent successful nan first sentence.
• That said, always beryllium kind, relationship thief and debar passive-aggressive phrases successful your emails.
• Provide clear deadlines for erstwhile you expect a reply aliases action to beryllium taken.
• Proofread to debar typos and sharpen nan message.

While composing a well-crafted email whitethorn require immoderate first effort, nan clip invested successful processing this accomplishment will yet prevention your squad countless hours spent connected unproductive online calls.

Related: Watch Out for nan Consequences of Too Much Collaboration

2. Explore replacement relationship methods

A company's activity civilization whitethorn too lend to employees' passion for online calls. If an connection fosters an "always-on" mentality, immoderate style of presenteeism is inevitable. Employees whitethorn consciousness compelled to participate successful unnecessary calls to show their changeless readiness and responsiveness, moreover if it hinders their productivity.

First, talk this volition pinch your squad and explicate that online calls are not nan default mode of relationship to minimize nan number of calls needed only to show working. Remember that immoderate labour whitethorn personification antecedently worked successful highly meeting-oriented environments, starring them to comprehend changeless meetings arsenic nan norm.

Then, replacement relationship methods will beryllium introduced to support a narration while minimizing interruptions. For example, task guidance tools, messaging platforms, and shared documents are coagulated alternatives to real-time calls – if utilized efficiently. These devices facilitate collaboration without nan petition for changeless meetings.

Related: Why It's More Productive to Have Fewer Meetings

3. Create clear guidelines for erstwhile to usage calls

Many organizations deficiency clear relationship protocols, leaving labour uncertain astir erstwhile to usage calls versus emails. As a leader, it's your activity to recovered clear guidelines and empower your squad to activity astir efficiently.

This process is simpler than it whitethorn seem. Begin by communicating pinch your team, outlining scenarios wherever an email (or nonstop message) is sufficient, specified arsenic accusation sharing, task updates, and elemental requests.

Subsequently, proviso clear guidelines for erstwhile a telephone is necessary, specified arsenic analyzable negotiations, urgent matters, and brainstorming sessions.

Explain nan benefits of reducing unnecessary meetings and accent nan worthy of businesslike relationship done emails and different asynchronous methods.

Related: Let's Stop nan Meetings and Start Getting Work Done

4. Schedule focused activity times to limit unnecessary calls

With back-to-back calls, it's astir intolerable to support attraction and execute immoderate meaningful work. While calls are officially "work" time, it's questionable really overmuch actual, productive activity is accomplished during them. Furthermore, 92% of labor admit to multitasking during virtual meetings, which defeats their intent moreover further.

While nan petition for (and nan magnitude of) focused activity blocks whitethorn alteration crossed professions, everyone benefits from dedicated "no-meeting" periods. These tin beryllium clip windows done nan clip that are important for dense work, uninterrupted email processing, and simply allowing nan mind to rotation and make caller ideas. Or these tin beryllium afloat dedicated no-meeting days.

To thief your labour trim nan changeless ping-pong of online calls, beforehand them to book attraction clip slots each clip and walk their co-workers astir them successful shared calendars aliases Slack Status notifications. Emphasize nan worth of respecting these attraction times and debar scheduling meetings during these periods. Or return title and group up a schedule for meeting-free days.

Related: Here's What Entrepreneurs Fear Most successful 2025 — and My 7 Secrets to Overcoming Them

Track and analyse your communication

Before revolutionizing online relationship successful your company, analyse your existent relationship patterns. Talk to your squad to understand their perspectives connected online calls and their perceived efficiency.

Don't make immoderate decisions without reviewing data-driven insights. Use devices to measurement telephone activity vs. productivity and spot areas for improvement. By hunt your team's relationship habits, you tin quantify nan clip saved by reducing unnecessary calls, perchance translating into hours gained each week.