Can You Survive a Meeting That Could Have Been an Email?

We’ve all been there. You check your calendar, and there it is—a one-hour meeting invite with a vague subject line like “Team Alignment” or “Strategy Sync.” You grab your coffee, brace yourself, and enter the virtual or physical conference room.

Thirty minutes in, you realize two things:

This meeting has nothing to do with you.
Everything being discussed could have been written in a three-sentence email.

Sound familiar? If so, congratulations—you’ve survived yet another Meeting That Should Have Been an Email (MTSHBAE). But the real question is, how do we escape the cycle?

The Great Meeting Epidemic

Meetings were once a noble gathering of minds—an opportunity to brainstorm, collaborate, and solve pressing issues. But somewhere along the way, they turned into calendar-clogging, soul-draining marathons where productivity goes to die.

In a survey by Harvard Business Review, 71% of employees said meetings are unproductive and inefficient. Another study found that companies waste an average of $37 billion annually on unnecessary meetings. That’s right—billion, with a B.

Survival Tactics: How to Escape the Unnecessary Meeting Trap

If you often find yourself trapped in MTSHBAEs, here are a few survival strategies:

1. Challenge the Meeting Before It Happens

Before accepting a meeting invite, ask yourself: ✅ Is this meeting really necessary? ✅ Can the objective be achieved via email, Slack, or a quick 10-minute call? ✅ Do I really need to be there?

If the answers lean toward “no,” it’s time to politely push back. A simple “Can we align via email instead?” can work wonders.

2. Set a Ruthless Agenda

If a meeting is absolutely necessary, make sure it’s purpose-driven. Every meeting should have:

A clear objective
A structured agenda
A set time limit (and a commitment to stick to it!)

A 15-minute focused discussion is infinitely more productive than a 60-minute ramble-fest.

3. The ‘Two-Pizza Rule’ for Meetings

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos follows a simple rule: If two pizzas aren’t enough to feed your meeting group, you have too many people in the room.

Keeping meetings small ensures that only the necessary voices are present, making discussions more efficient and decisions faster.

4. Default to Asynchronous Communication

Not every discussion needs to happen in real time. Instead of scheduling a meeting, consider using:

Email for status updates and decisions
Messaging apps (Slack, Teams, WhatsApp) for quick clarifications
Recorded video updates (Loom, Vidyard) for more detailed explanations

The less synchronous time spent on non-essential matters, the more time everyone has for deep, focused work.

The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters

We run a training provider business that focuses on team productivity, leadership, and soft skills development. One of the biggest challenges teams face is inefficient communication. Too many meetings lead to burnout, decreased focus, and slower progress.

By redefining how we communicate, we empower teams to work smarter, not harder. Effective meeting strategies are not just about saving time—they’re about creating an environment where people can do their best work.

Final Thought: The 30-Minute Challenge

Next time you’re about to send a meeting invite, ask yourself: Can I make my point in a concise, well-structured email? If the answer is yes, do your team a favor—hit send instead of schedule.