Try the 50-minute meeting
In some companies, meetings are stacked up on
the hour like planes in the landing pattern at
O'Hare Airport. The 50-minute meeting concept
is simple; instead of a full 60-minute meeting,
why not give people time for a bio break, a
fresh cup of coffee, and "commuting time" to
the next meeting?
50-minute meetings also help manage:
Overload of information that the mind can absorb at
one time
Wandering attention spans
Potential health problems from sitting too long
You can't always have a 50 minute meeting, but
if you're meeting will run several hours, you
could have a connected series of 50 minute
meetings. The extra 10 minutes in each hour -set at a consistent clock time such as 50
minutes after the hour -- could allow for
stretches, breaks, or a quick e-mail session.