Do you find yourself accepting meetings, even though you’re not clear why you’re invited, what the purpose of the meeting is, or what you would contribute?

Is a “no” response OK in your organization when you are invited to a meeting or is there a stigma that you are not a team player if you decline?

If you ever struggle saying no to meetings, here is a decision model we share in our new Making Meetings More Productive Using Microsoft Teams course:

Clarifying which meetings to attend:
• Does it relate to one of my goals/objectives/priorities?
• What’s the value in attending, what’s the risk if I don’t?
• Can a delegate attend instead?

Ask the inviter (if not clear):
• What’s the purpose of the meeting?
• What’s the agenda?
• How do you see I would add value?
• Is there anything I need to be prepared for?