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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Here are some of the most common cadences categories:
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.
Perfect for daily 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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
Here’s what you have to gain from the right meeting cadence.
Here’s how you help your employees by using the right meeting cadence.
Here’s what you add to your organization with the right meeting cadence.
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.
