The Explainer: The Case for More Muted Meetings

Harvard Business Review · Oct 16, 2026 · 4m

The Explainer: The Case for More Silent Meetings

2 Dec 2019

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Talking meetings have much merit, but can also be subject to a host of problems. There are approximately 55 million meetings a day in the United States. Although they often have many different purposes and goals, these meetings are typically conducted in the same way, time and time again. Namely, individuals gather together, virtually or face-to-face, to talk about a topic. We often don’t realize it, but talk is actually a choice; simply one of many different meeting styles or communication methods a leader can select. While…