Could This Meeting Have Been an Email?

Have you ever left a meeting, asking yourself that question? In our fast-paced work environment, it often feels like meetings dominate our schedules. It's essential to strike a balance between necessary face-to-face interactions and those that could be more efficiently handled through other means, such as emails.

Like many of you, I find that my week is filled with various types of meetings, including status updates, team meetings and project-related discussions. Our technology tools have made it easier for others to schedule “our time,” but this convenience can contribute to meeting fatigue.

A recent estimate suggested that, collectively, employees attend 55 million meetings a day in the U.S. What’s more … “too many meetings” was cited as the No. 1 time waster in the office, according to a study run by Salary.

Green Room Session Details

At Delta Dental of Iowa, we’re thrilled to host Steven Rogelberg, a nationally renowned expert on meetings and organizational psychologist, for our first, in-person session of the Green Room.

Join me for our next installment of the Green Room, featuring Rogelberg: “Meet with Success: Evidence-Based Ways to Create Effective, Engaging and Inclusive Meetings,” on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025 from 3 – 5 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in West Des Moines.

To host a national leader like Rogelberg, to share his insights on making meetings more engaging and productive, is a great opportunity for Iowa business leaders to take actionable steps they can use every day.

I’m looking forward to hearing how Rogelberg puts his research into making our work time, including meetings, as productive, inclusive and effective as possible. We want our team members to feel included, have a voice such that they feel our value of “Leadership at ALL Levels.”

Rogelberg has authored more than 200 publications and testified before Congress, presenting his insights on meeting culture and how to improve it.

His keynotes on meetings span the globe. He's presented at the world's leading organizations including Google, Amazon, Pfizer, Bank of America, Dell, the United Nations, London Stock Exchange, TIAA and many more.

Meetings matter, Rogelberg said. More than 75% of managers are never trained in meeting content, structure or best practices. He will share research-based data to improve meeting engagement, efficiency, productivity, and “meeting culture.”

We host the Green Room as a conversation series to help Iowa business leaders gain insights into managing, motivating and achieving continued success for their businesses and employees. This series began in 2020 and has been a virtual event. Now, in our first in-person, live event, I can see how the series has evolved and become a vibrant voice for Iowa business leaders.

Attendees at this free, in-person event will access Rogelberg’s evidence-based practices to make meetings genuinely engaging and inclusive.

To register for this in-person event, visit this link: The Green Room.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership calendar of events is a one-stop resource for activities taking place throughout the region. Find networking information for Greater Des Moines (DSM) businesses, including Chamber luncheons, roundtables and ribbon cuttings. You can also find live music happening each week thanks to the “Live Music This Week in DSM” blog series.