While informal pre-meeting small talk naturally occurs in physical conference rooms, it is rarely observed in virtual meeting environments. To capture these benefits remotely, researchers suggest establishing organizational norms where team members log on a few minutes early or dedicate the opening minutes of a video call to an informal check-in.
Meeting facilitators can further enhance engagement by employing structured participation techniques. Kreamer advocates for an approach known as silent brainstorming, or "brainwriting," to gather input from hesitant or shy attendees. Rather than relying on traditional verbal open-floor discussions, participants log into a shared digital space—such as a collaborative document or chat interface—and record their ideas simultaneously in silence.
A 2009 study comparing brainstorming techniques found that silent, written idea generation consistently yielded superior results compared to traditional open verbal sessions. Kreamer routinely uses this strategy in academic settings, noting that it eliminates the pressure to interrupt others or speak on the spot. After a short period of silent writing, the group collectively reviews and evaluates the compiled ideas.
Recent meeting science research has also turned its attention toward supporting neurodiverse workplace participants. Zofia Walters, a doctoral researcher working alongside Kreamer at the Florida Institute of Technology, has focused on identifying how meeting formats affect employees with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Practices such as reducing sensory distractions, providing written agendas, utilizing shared calendars, and instituting regular check-ins benefit the workforce broadly, but they are particularly critical for neurodivergent staff.
In a study examining 147 workers across various industries, Walters evaluated participant experiences following their most recent virtual meeting. Her survey tracked perceived meeting effectiveness, post-meeting fatigue, emotional state, camera usage duration, and self-reported multitasking habits, alongside formal or informal ADHD diagnoses.
Walters found that participants with ADHD reported significantly higher levels of meeting-induced fatigue and worse emotional states than their non-ADHD peers, particularly when required to keep their video cameras on for extended periods. Notably, the data suggested that secondary tasks—such as responding to emails during a presentation—may serve as an active coping mechanism that helps individuals with ADHD manage boredom and physical restlessness during lengthy calls.
Sustaining the benefits of a meeting requires systematic follow-through once the call ends. Research published by Lehmann-Willenbrock and colleagues in Organizational Dynamics highlights that leaders must clearly assign action items, execute concrete implementation steps, and periodically evaluate employee satisfaction and meeting efficacy to ensure that group discussions translate into tangible organizational outcomes.
The Downsides—and Upsides
The cumulative weight of poorly managed meetings imposes a clear psychological and operational burden on employees. Studies show that workers anticipate feeling less productive and more emotionally drained on days heavily saturated with back-to-back meetings, particularly when their workload requires deep, complex focus.
A central driver of meeting fatigue is the lack of explicit intent. Ava Scott, a cognitive scientist at the University of Copenhagen who studied workplace habits among Microsoft employees, notes that meetings are frequently treated as a default mechanism for task management without clear operational targets, leaving participants feeling adrift.
Recurring status meetings are particularly prone to losing focus over time. In Scott’s research, workers frequently described successive recurring calls as blurred and repetitive. When a recurring session lacks a distinct goal and competes with pressing deadlines, maintaining it on the calendar becomes counterproductive. In response to these findings, several major corporations, including the e-commerce company Shopify, have taken the step of systematically clearing all recurring meetings from internal employee calendars.
