Have You Made the Purpose of Your Meetings Clear?
We've all heard it—the collective sigh and the familiar groan when another meeting is announced. The comments about how "this meeting could have been an email" or how it's "just another meeting" are often an indication of a lack of clarity around its purpose.
While it may be tempting to cut back on meetings, collaboration is a cornerstone of a strong educational organization. Meetings are a part of that reality. The key isn't to get rid of them, but to make sure every meeting has a clear, well-articulated purpose.
We see two key audiences for this clarity.
For Leaders
As a school leader, you must first clarify the purpose of each meeting for yourself and your leadership team. Why does the department meet monthly? What is the specific purpose of the staff meeting? What are we trying to accomplish in our school support team?
When you have a clear understanding of the purpose, it becomes much easier to create a purposeful agenda. You're not just trying to fill time; you have specific intentions you want to accomplish.
In fact, we saw a school leader do this beautifully. On every agenda she sent out—whether it was for a staff meeting or a collaborative team meeting—she included a small box at the top that simply said "Why?" Inside, she would write a one or two-sentence statement about the reason for the meeting.
This practice is especially important for regular, ongoing meetings. If a team meets every week or every two weeks, the purpose needs to be crystal clear. If leaders can't articulate the purpose, we can't expect our teams to understand it either.
Northern Gateway Public Schools principal cohort team meets regularly to examine their Quality Learning Environments (a framework they have designed to articulate common instruction across the division). When they design their agenda they include a clear statement of the purpose of their work together.
For the Staff Team
Once you, as leaders, have clarity, the next step is to make it crystal clear for the rest of your staff. This is valuable for those who have been on your team for a while and especially for new staff who are just transitioning in.
Always come back to the "why." When the purpose of a meeting is well-communicated, you'll hear the question "Why do we need another meeting?" less and less.
The "why" should also connect to your school's foundational documents. Is your mission or vision reflected in the purpose of your meetings? If your school's values include being able to connect and understand one another as a team, you could state that a regular meeting's purpose is to live out that specific value.
We've also seen schools that align their meetings with their strategic plan. When the purpose of a meeting is to "accomplish this part of our strategic plan," the meeting itself becomes the actionable piece of that plan. It moves the vision from a document on a shelf to an active, living process.
Roland Michener Secondary School in Slave Lake, Alberta, provides a great example. Their school support team meets every week, and on their agenda, they have explicitly articulated the purpose of the meeting, not just for those in the room but also for the broader school community.
A simple shift in how you approach your meetings can transform your school culture. By taking the time to clarify the purpose of every gathering—first for yourself as a leader and then for your entire staff—you move away from a culture of obligatory meetings to one of intentional collaboration. When a meeting's purpose is clear, it becomes a powerful tool for advancing your school's vision, rather than a drain on time and energy. It's an opportunity to ensure that every minute spent together is a step toward achieving your shared goals and building a truly connected and effective team.
Please reach out to share your insights, challenges, and triumphs along with your questions, resources or suggestions related to this topic. Connect with us at or .
