How to Improve a Meeting When You’re Not Leading It

You do not need to be the meeting organizer, the most senior person in the room, or the loudest voice to make a meeting better. In fact, some of the most effective meetings happen because the participants ensure the meeting is a valuable use of everyone’s time. They don’t leave the responsibility solely to the organizer. They also don’t dominate the conversation.

If you are attending meetings that aren’t a valuable use of everyone’s time, don’t sit back and resign yourself to it. You can use your influence to make them better.

Yes, you have influence regardless of what level of the organization you’re at. Put simply, influencing is just causing people to think, feel, or do something you want them to think feel or do. Anyone can do it.

Here are three ways to improve meetings from any seat at the table.

Clarify Your Role Beforehand

Before you attend a meeting, take a moment to ask yourself: Why am I here, and what does the group need from me? Too often, people attend meetings without understanding whether they are expected to contribute expertise, make a decision, offer feedback, listen for implications, or simply stay informed. That uncertainty creates two common problems. Some participants remain quiet when their input would be valuable. Others speak frequently without knowing whether their contribution is relevant to the purpose of the conversation.

If you don’t know why you’ve been invited to a meeting, clarify your role in advance. A quick message to the organizer can prevent confusion:

“I’m looking forward to joining. What input would you like me to provide? I want to be sure I’m offering the right perspective for the meeting.”

This communicates preparation and gives the organizer a chance to define expectations. It can also reveal that the meeting has not been fully thought through—useful information in itself.

This small intervention helps the group use the right people at the right time. It also keeps you from feeling pressure to contribute simply to prove that you belong in the room.

Ask for the Objective and Desired Outcome

Many meetings feel unproductive because people begin discussing solutions before agreeing on the problem, purpose, or decision at hand. Participants may leave with very different understandings of what happened—and no shared clarity about what comes next. One of the most useful questions you can ask is:

“What do we need to accomplish by the end of this meeting?”

This question is simple, but it can change the quality of the conversation immediately. It asks the group to distinguish between sharing information, generating ideas, making a decision, solving a problem, and assigning responsibilities.

For example, a team may spend 30 minutes debating a new customer intake process. One person assumes the group is making a final decision. Another thinks the purpose is only to identify concerns. A third is waiting for the director to make the call later. Without a shared objective, the conversation can sound productive while producing little progress. Try asking:

“Are we here to make a decision today, generate options, or identify what additional information we need?”

You can also ask about the desired outcome:

“What should be different when we leave this conversation?”

This is not about policing the conversation. It is about protecting the group’s attention and time. The best redirects are respectful, specific, and connected to the meeting’s agreed purpose.

Redirect Airtime by Inviting Other Voices

Meetings are often shaped by who speaks first, who speaks most, and whose ideas receive immediate attention. That can limit the quality of the group’s thinking. People with valuable insight may hold back because they need more time to process, feel less senior, or have learned that speaking up is not welcomed. You can improve participation without calling anyone out or creating awkwardness. Look for opportunities to invite additional perspectives into the conversation. For example:

“We’ve heard several operational concerns. I’d be interested in the client-facing perspective before we move forward.”

Or:

“Jordan, you work closest to this process. What are you seeing that we should consider?”

The key is to invite people in because of their experience, role, or viewpoint—not because they have been quiet. Saying, “You have not said much—what do you think?” can unintentionally put someone on the spot. A more effective approach connects their contribution to the issue being discussed. You can also create space by slowing down the pace:

“Before we decide, let’s pause for a minute. Are there perspectives or risks we have not heard yet?”

This is especially helpful when a meeting includes people from different functions, levels, or communities. Inclusion is not only about giving everyone the chance to speak. It is about actively drawing out information the group needs in order to make a better decision.

You may not control the agenda, attendee list, or calendar invitation, but you can still influence how the group uses its time. Clarify your role, establish the objective and desired outcome, and invite perspectives that might otherwise be missed. Small interventions can create major shifts. They help meetings become less about talking and more about thinking, deciding, and moving work forward.

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Until next time!

Amy Drader is a management consultant and credentialed coach with over 20 years’ experience in HR and operations. She knows first-hand the joys and challenges of leading people and is dedicated to helping managers and teams advance their performance. She is the owner of Growth Partners Consulting, a boutique leadership and team development consulting firm that provides customized training, coaching, and professional development resources.