8 Common Meeting Pitfalls and What You Can Do to Avoid Them

I can't count the number of meetings I've been in thinking “Ugh another meeting, what a waste of time” or "I can't wait for this meeting to be over to get some real work done."

Meetings often feel like the bane of a software engineer's existence. They can be disruptive and often seem like a waste of time.

But here's the thing: we can't escape meetings. Not all meetings can be replaced with Slack messages or emails.

In today’s article, we’re giving practical tips on making meetings more bearable by tackling the most common issues. We’ll cover:

• Who we are and why this is important

• Why not all meetings could’ve been emails

• 🔐 The most common issues with meetings and how to solve them (preview only)

Illustration by Storyset

Who are we and why is this important?

We’re Irina and Anemari, and we decided to co-write this article based on a LinkedIn live event we hosted a few months ago on the same topic.

As Tech Leads, we’ve had many chats about how to make people more connected and collaborative, even when meetings are so disliked. They are a necessary evil.

All the advice in this article comes from our more than 17 years of combined tech leadership experience at companies like Google, Uber, and Thoughtworks.

Irina:

Hi! I’m Irina Stanescu, a Tech Lead Manager and Staff Engineer turned Leadership Coach and writer of The Caring Techie Newsletter. Prior to this, I’ve led large projects for Big Tech companies (such as Google, and Uber), and startups. For the past year, I’ve been focusing on helping engineers and leaders through my 1-1 coaching, my “Impact through Influence” course, as well as writing content.

Anemari:

And I’m Anemari Fiser, a Tech Lead and Engineering Manager turned Career Coach in tech and Tech Lead trainer. In the past 3 years, I have helped over 500 people launch and advance to leadership positions and trained close to 200 Tech Leads in building high-performing teams. I share all my learnings on tech leadership on LinkedIn and in Level Up as a Tech Lead newsletter.

Throughout the article, you’ll see us switching between Irina talking and Anemari talking. We hope you enjoy this article as much as we enjoyed chatting during our LinkedIn live event (link to it at the bottom of this article).

Not all meetings could’ve been an email

Software engineering is a team sport. We need to all pull in the same direction, hence we need to get on the same page as a team and with our leaders. Making decisions together is crucial.

Async communication—like emails and messages— doesn't always work. Different people and personalities can make it hard to get on the same page in writing. It's challenging to understand the tone and context, and it can lead to misunderstandings.

We can't always anticipate the objections that might come up. This is where sync communication shines. When we need to address concerns or make decisions, talking in real time is faster and more effective. We can discuss, clarify, and resolve issues on the spot.

Making this process easier for your team is a great way to increase your impact and help with your career advancement.

How to solve the 8 most common issues with meetings

So what are the most common pitfalls when it comes to meetings?

• No clear goal

• Meetings that keep derailing

• Dominating personalities taking over the whole conversation

• I keep being interrupted by others

• Meetings taking too long

• Meetings feeling “dead”

• Meetings ending with no clear outcome

• Meetings that turn into fights

Let’s take them one by one.

Issue #1: Meetings with no clear goal

Why is this a problem?

Meetings that have no clear goal feel like the biggest waste of time. 

Without a clear goal, meetings can feel pointless. You end up chatting about random stuff without getting anything done.

As engineers, we often think of all the “real work” we could’ve done during this time.

How to fix it

Before a meeting, each attendee should know:

• What the meeting is about.

• What we're trying to accomplish.

• What their role is.

Anemari: 

To make sure the goal of the meeting is clear, there are a few things the meeting organizer needs to ensure when sending a meeting calendar invite:

▶ Name your meetings clearly

Be specific about what you want to accomplish by the end of the meeting.

❌ Talk about <topic>

✅ Define delivery strategy for <topic>

▶  Add a short description to your meeting invite 

Provide the necessary context meeting guests need to be aware of before joining the meeting.

❌ <empty description>

✅ Meeting goal: Define delivery strategy for <topic>
Here you can find previous conversations on the <topic>: <link to document>
Also, here you can find the draft plan we will be working on: <link to document>

▶ Start the meeting by stating the goal

Start the meeting by reiterating the goal of the meeting and the agenda.

❌ “Let’s jump right into it”

✅ Thank you for joining! The reason I scheduled this meeting is to review the delivery plan and ensure that everyone is aligned with the steps we will take in this process and the timelines we commit to.

Irina:

To add to Anemari’s point, If the meeting title or description is missing, feel empowered to ask for it in advance. If it's not clear to you, it's probably not clear to others either.

Issue #2: Meetings that keep derailing

Why is this a problem?

When meetings go off track, it's tough to stay focused. You waste time on unrelated topics and miss out on important discussions. Also, you don’t accomplish the purpose of the meeting, often needing a follow-up.

How to fix it