How to Tell If a Meeting Has an Objective

The calendar invite arrives. It has a title, a time, and a list of attendees. What it does not have is any indication of what the meeting is supposed to accomplish.

This is not unusual. A significant portion of workplace meetings exist without a stated objective. They have topics, themes, and vibes — but not objectives.

Here is how to tell the difference before you walk in.

The objective test

A meeting has an objective if you can complete this sentence: "By the end of this meeting, we will have ___________."

The blank should contain a specific, completable outcome. "Decided on the vendor." "Approved the budget." "Assigned owners to the three open items." These are objectives.

"Discussed the project" is not an objective. It is a description of activity. Discussion is a method, not a destination.

Warning signs in the invite

• The title is a noun phrase, not an action. "Q3 Planning" describes a topic. "Finalize Q3 priorities" describes an outcome.
• The agenda says "updates from each team." Updates are information transfer. Information transfer does not require a meeting.
• The invite was sent by someone who is not attending. This is a meeting that exists because someone else asked for it, and nobody has thought about why.
• The meeting is 60 minutes with six agenda items. Ten minutes per item is not enough time to decide anything. This is a tour, not a meeting.
• The description says "to align on." Alignment is a feeling, not an outcome. What specifically needs to be aligned, and how will you know when it is?

How to find out before you go

Reply to the invite and ask: "What's the one thing we need to decide or produce in this meeting?" This is not a rude question. It is the most useful question you can ask.

If the organizer cannot answer it, the meeting is not ready. If they can answer it, you now have the objective and the meeting has a better chance of being useful.

What to do if there is no objective

You have three options:

• Ask for one. "What do we need to decide?" is a question that can be asked at the start of any meeting without causing offense.
• Propose one. "I'd suggest we use this time to decide X — does that work for everyone?" This is leadership, not presumption.
• Decline and offer an alternative. "I don't think I can contribute to this one — could you send me the outcome afterward?" This is honest and saves everyone time.

Read next

→ When to Cancel a Meeting

→ Meeting Types Ranked From Useful to Dangerous