How to decide the right meeting cadence

What is a meeting cadence?

Simply put, a cadence means a rhythm - a sequence that is regular or steady. A meeting cadence is nothing but a regular sequence or frequency of meetings over a definite period of time.

So, if the definite period of time was a week, a month or a year, the frequency of meetings that you hold during these periods would be your meeting cadence. This will vary for different meetings.

Let’s say the definite period of time was a week and the frequency of a particular meeting was 2 in a week - the meeting cadence of that meeting would be bi-weekly.

Why do you need the right meeting cadence?

Okay, so here’s the big question. 'Why can’t I simply hold one as and when I want?' So, here’s the thing. You can very well hold some meetings as per your need. But there are some meetings that must have a set frequency. Why, you ask? Too much or too little of anything can make all the difference. Too abstract an idea? Let’s break it down for you.

Effect of too many meetings

• Reduced productivity: When your employees are spending too much time in meetings, they end up with less time to complete their tasks. The lack of time leads to a slump in their productivity.
• Burnout: You have an amazing team? Congratulations to you. And how can you be a good manager to them? By making sure that they are not getting exhausted attending too many meetings while also ensuring that they receive good work. Burnout is real and can be one of the causes of high turnover.
• Missed deadlines: I’m sure you were expecting this. Too many meetings give your team less time to complete tasks on time and you may have to revise deadlines.

Effect of too less meetings

• Miscommunication: To few meetings leave your employees with lesser opportunities to share and receive important information. This can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication later on.
• Lack of alignment: When you hold too few meetings, you give your employees fewer chances to receive clarity on priorities and goals. This misalignment can cost you later since your team did not know where to focus their attention.
• Reduced collaboration: Lesser number of meetings means lesser opportunities for sharing of ideas. The potential for innovation may be hampered due to a lack of chances to get together to collaborate and brainstorm.

What to consider when deciding the right meeting cadence for your team?

Start by noting down all that you think can affect a meeting’s frequency. Can it be the availability of the meeting room or who the participants of the meeting are going to be? To make it easy for you, we have listed down a few that you must keep in mind while deciding the meeting cadence for your team.

The purpose of the meeting

The purpose for which you are meeting will be a deciding factor for your meeting cadence. For example, if it is a meeting to understand the status of your project, you for sure cannot have it daily. A weekly cadence will be more beneficial.

The needs of the team

The needs of the team is key to understanding the right meeting cadence. If your team is working on an urgent project, they may need to meet more often. And if required, even daily.

Number of participants

The number of participants decides your meeting cadence because having a large number of attendees frequently attend a meeting means disrupting work for a significant number of people. You don’t want that.

Duration of meetings

You know how too many meetings can reduce productivity. And, if these meetings are long, well, that is just a terrible concoction. This is why it is best to hold longer meetings at a lower frequency so that the productivity of employees is not affected.

Mode or format of the meeting

Whether you hold a meeting physically, virtually or asynchronously, it has an influence on the meeting cadence. This is because the feasibility of holding physical meetings is lesser as compared to virtual or asynchronous meetings.

Understanding meeting cadences

Here are some of the most common cadences categories:

1. Daily Cadence

What is a daily cadence? Simple - meetings that can be held once every working day. A daily cadence works great for meetings with a short duration that do not involve racking your brain for ideas or deep diving into problems. And, if you do hold such meetings on this high frequency, they will kill productivity and burn out your employees. Snackable updates and blockers to progress are usually the elements of meetings with daily cadence.

Rings a bell? Yes, your daily stand-ups. The daily stand-ups are an appropriate example of meetings following the daily meeting cadence. Think of the structure this meeting has.

• A maximum duration of 15 minutes - short duration - check (even shorter if you choose to go the asynchronous way).
• Mention of tasks for the day - check.
• Updates on what was accomplished - check.
• Blockers to progress, if any - check.
• No discussion of plans or problems that require deep thinking - check.

Perfect for daily cadence.

2. Weekly Cadence

A weekly cadence requires you to schedule meetings on a weekly basis - once a week. This cadence is most useful when you want to review the work done in the last week while also planning for the upcoming one. Your team can easily get together once a week to discuss and find solutions to the obstacles faced last week. This review helps you to receive insights and clarity on how to make things better for the upcoming week.

Take for instance the retrospective meetings. These meetings are designed to discuss what went well, what did not go well in the last sprint and how you can improve the coming sprint. They help your team members understand what can be continued and what must not be repeated.

This meeting can have cadences other than weekly as well. The only thing is holding these after a lapse of time is important, because that means everyone has made some concrete progress and has something substantial to share when they meet. This ensures that both the meeting and the employees are productive.

3. Monthly Cadence

Few meetings are best held even a lesser number of times than the ones discussed above. They can be held on a monthly cadence, you know. This is to ensure that these meetings do not waste your employees’ time and keep them aligned with their work. Any that comes to your mind?

One that I can think of is the 1-on-1 feedback meeting. The identification of strengths and weaknesses every month can set the tone for future performances. The checking in, setting of expectations and problem solving take up considerable time. This is why holding it more frequently is likely to waste both your and your employees’ time.

4. Quarterly Cadence

Did you already expect this cadence? Ha, easy when we are going chronologically. So coming back, this meeting cadence is most appropriate for meetings that need a good length of time to have been spent before holding it. You know, those that require a good amount of data to be gathered to be discussed. Other than that, you can also hold meetings that inform your team of important changes in the organization, on a quarterly cadence.

Financial review meetings are an appropriate example that falls on this cadence. Picture the elements of a financial review meeting:

• Financial statement
• Categorization of expenses
• Budget
• Forecasting

Everything requires a sizeable amount of data.

These meetings are held to review the financial performance of the organization. And you need time and data to be able to review that information.

5. Half-yearly Cadence

Can you work out one that can be held on a half-yearly meeting cadence?  Here’s a hint - strategizing. Yep, you got that right - a strategic planning meeting.

Strategic planning meetings are held to review long-term plans, assess the progress of current goals and adjust them strategically to ensure those long-term plans are achieved. Now, such in-depth discussions cannot possible take place daily. Monthly? Well, when these meetings involve long term plans to be scrutinized, even a month is a shorter span of time and so are three months.

Also, these meetings are usually attended only by senior executives and other stakeholders of the organization. You cannot possibly expect all of them to be available together for a meeting more frequently than this.

This is why a lower frequency such as a half-yearly cadence works best for a strategic planning meeting.

6. Annual Cadence

I’m sure you expected this cadence too. What else could come at the end of a cadence list made chronologically other than an annual cadence, right?

Well, just how we are closing this list, to close the year, organizations hold Annual General Meetings once a year, i.e. on an annual cadence. AGMs are held to receive updates on the company’s performance, make important decisions regarding governance and vote to elect board members.

One highlight of the meeting is also reviewing of the company’s financial performance for the year. Now, when an element of the meeting itself includes something to be done annually, you can imagine the length of the report required and hence the need for such a duration to elapse to make a report that detailed. Therefore, the cadence.

Benefits of a right meeting cadence for you as a manager

Here’s what you have to gain from the right meeting cadence.

• Improved Communication: As you might have guessed after reading about the effects of to few meetings, the right meeting cadence creates opportunities for you to communicate effectively with your team members, provide feedback, and clarify expectations. This can help to improve overall communication and alignment within your team.
• Improved Employee Engagement: Meetings with the right cadence show that you are invested in your team's success and well-being. When your employees see this, they are likely to be more engaged and have higher morale.

Benefits of a right meeting cadence for your employees

Here’s how you help your employees by using the right meeting cadence.

• Clarity and Alignment: Meetings with the right cadence can provide your employees with a clear understanding of your expectations, priorities, and goals for the team. This can help to align their work with the team's objectives and reduce confusion or misunderstandings.
• Increased Accountability: When you hold meetings that are appropriately spaced, you keep employees accountable for their work and progress towards their goals. This can also motivate them to stay focused.

Benefits of a right meeting cadence for your organization

Here’s what you add to your organization with the right meeting cadence.

• Enhanced Organizational Culture: Meetings with the right cadence can help to foster a positive organizational culture by providing the employees with opportunities for feedback, recognition, and collaboration. This can help to create a more engaged and motivated workforce, leading to higher employee retention rates and better overall performance.
• Better Decision-Making: Appropriately spaced meetings provide opportunities for team members to discuss and analyze issues, leading to more informed decision-making and better outcomes for the organization.

Use Sup Bot to run asynchronous meetings

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In the midst of the numerous scheduled meetings, it's wise to consider shifting routine updates to asynchronous meeting formats. This change frees up your schedule from fixed meeting times, allowing you to dedicate more time to crucial tasks. Plus, asynchronous updates come with the benefit of documented responses, making it easier to track accountability for follow-up actions. This approach not only streamlines your meetings, but also avoids burnout and frustration among the team.

Frequently asked questions

1. What is a meeting cadence?

Meeting cadence refers to the frequency at which regular meetings are scheduled within a specific period. It determines how often team members or stakeholders come together to discuss ongoing projects, updates, or strategic planning. For instance, if a team schedules four meetings within a year, the cadence would be quarterly. Similarly, a meeting cadence can be daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or any other regular interval that suits the needs of the team or organization. Establishing a consistent meeting cadence helps ensure timely communication, coordination, and alignment across the team or organization.

2. What does cadence mean at work?

At work, cadence refers to the regularity or frequency at which specific events, meetings, or activities occur. It establishes a consistent rhythm or schedule for these events, ensuring that they happen at predictable intervals. This can apply to team meetings, project updates, performance reviews, or any other recurring work-related activities. A well-defined cadence helps create structure, improve planning, and ensure consistent communication and progress tracking within an organization. For example, having a weekly cadence for team meetings ensures that everyone is aligned and informed about ongoing tasks and projects.

3. What is project meeting cadence?

Project meeting cadence refers to the frequency at which project-related meetings are scheduled to take place. This cadence can vary based on the project's needs and complexity, and it can be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or any other interval that suits the project's requirements. Establishing a clear project meeting cadence helps ensure consistent communication among team members, timely updates on project progress, and the ability to address issues or roadblocks promptly. It also facilitates better planning, coordination, and alignment of project activities, contributing to the overall success of the project.