How To Make Your Collaboration Meetings More Effective

I still remember the feeling—mild agitation turning to full-blown frustration—as I sat in on a Collaboration Meeting as an invited guest.

For context, when I say “Collaboration Meeting,” I’m talking about Year Level meetings, Team meetings, Phase of Learning Team meetings—any scheduled time where educators come together to share ideas, examine data, or tackle common challenges.

The agitation kicked in early. At the scheduled start time, only half the group had arrived. The rest trickled in over the next six minutes.

Then came the apologies.

“I didn’t get to the data—busy week.”

“It’s on my desk—I’ll run and get it.”

It felt like the grown-up version of “the dog ate my homework.”

Still, the leader soldiered on. The next agenda item? Student behaviour.

Cue the floodgates. Frustrations poured out about the same few students, with no clear resolution or forward plan.

Sixty minutes later, I mentally scored the meeting.

Efficiency: 0.

Effectiveness: 0.

Engagement: 0.

But hey, the “PoLT” meeting box was ticked.

Research by Atlassian found that only 28% of meetings are effective, based on responses from over 5,000 employees across four continents.

Let’s apply that to schools:

Each year, schools clock up a minimum of 56 hours in meetings.If only 28% of those are worthwhile, that’s just 16 hours of effective time.Collaboration Meetings alone can chew through around 20 of those 56 hours, meaning only 6 hours of that time is genuinely impactful.

Honestly? Based on what I witnessed, that tracks.This is where we let our educators down. We don’t offer enough structure or support to help Collaboration Meetings hit the mark. And they need to—because wasting educators’ time in poorly run meetings doesn’t just hurt productivity; it chips away at their wellbeing.

So how do we fix it—without adding more to anyone’s plate?Here’s a framework to help your Collaboration Leaders run meetings that are efficient, effective, and engaging.

1. Create Space

Remember—most people are coming straight from the classroom. Their minds are still buzzing, their energy is low, and their first thought is “When do we finish?” not “What can I contribute?”So change the environment to shift the mindset:

• Rotate locations—try outside, the staff garden, or a comfy corner.

• Offer walk-and-talk options.

• Bring snacks—sometimes the best ideas come over a biscuit.

2. Clarify the Purpose

Ask the simplest and most powerful question: “Why are we meeting?”What’s the clear benefit to student learning or staff practice?If you can’t answer that, the meeting probably doesn’t need to happen.

3. Know Your People

As a leader, are you tuning into what your team really needs?Are the agenda items relevant to their context?If not, rethink your delivery—bridge the gap between theory and practical application. Make it matter to them.

4. Follow the Process

Meetings need a rhythm—a reliable flow that builds clarity and ownership:

• Agenda set and shared in advance

• Clear roles during the meeting

• Minutes taken and distributed

• Feedback welcomed

• Decisions documented

• Actions implemented

This is how good communication becomes great collaboration.

Let’s stop the cycle of agitation, frustration, and ticked boxes.Collaboration Meetings should fuel momentum—not drain it.

Are you ready to shift the stats and create meetings that actually matter?