
Meetings Suck—Here are the Science-Backed Ways to Fix Them
From Per My Last Email by Morning Brew
April 20, 2026 · 39 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the science behind ineffective meetings and offers research-backed strategies for improving them.
In this episode, Kaila and Kyle are joined by Rebecca Hinds, PhD, author of Your Best Meeting Ever: 7 Principles for Designing Meetings That Get Things Done. Rebecca breaks down the science behind why meetings so often fail—and shares research-backed tactics to decide which meetings are actually worth having, and how to design them for better outcomes. 00:00 Intro 02:36 Why do meetings suck? 03:47 Meeting Doomsday 05:40 Determining which meetings are actually useful 08:03 Considering remote employees 10:11 Making better meeting agendas 13:53 How to stop attendance inflation 16:13 How to manage the dominant speaker in a meeting 19:48 The “meeting-free day” debate 23:30 The value of a pre-read 25:55 Game: So Crazy It Just Might Work This episode was sponsored by Allergy Insider. Ask your primary care provider about getting tested with your local respiratory allergy profile today. Learn more at: allergyinsider.com/questionnaire Want to get all of Kaila & Kyle’s career resources? Subscribe to Per My Last Email: https://www.permylastemailshow.com/ Watch Per My Last Email on YouTube: @PerMYLastEmailShow Follow Per My Last Email Instagram: @permylastemailshow TikTok: @permylastemailshow…
People in this episode
Hosts: Kaila, Kyle
Guest: Rebecca Hinds
Topics covered
- meetings
- productivity
- workplace strategies
- remote work
- meeting design
Keywords
- meetings
- productivity
- remote employees
- meeting agendas
- attendance inflation
- meeting-free day
- pre-read
Sponsors
Allergy Insider
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Morning Brew
Books & works: Your Best Meeting Ever: 7 Principles for Designing Meetings That Get Things Done
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