When meetings conclude early, the term “Let me give you back 10 minutes of your life” to wrap things up, always make me cringe.
Focussing on ‘giving back’ implies that the time was somehow ‘taken’ from the attendees. It implies loss, as if the meeting was burdensome or unnecessary.
Assuming one has had a productive and valuable meeting, one can summarise, confirm action points, next steps and thank everyone for their inputs.
Thanks everyone for your inputs and for a productive meeting. We’ve covered everything on the agenda, so we can wrap up a little early.
Emphasise the positive aspects of the meeting, rather than framing it as time ‘given back’ or wasted.
Original Post: Stop Giving Me Back My Time! | LinkedIn
