Could That Meeting Be An Email?

We’ve all been there—stuck in a meeting that should have been an email. It’s frustrating, time-consuming, and all too common. But before we start canceling every meeting and replacing them with lengthy email threads, there’s a bigger question we need to ask: Is it really that simple?

Could that meeting be an email?

Not every meeting can be an email, and not every email should be an email. There’s a fine line—a gray area—that we need to navigate carefully.

While meetings get a bad reputation for wasting time, emails come with their own pitfalls, particularly when it comes to clarity and communication breakdowns.

So how do you decide? Before you hit “send” on that calendar invite—or that long-winded email—ask yourself a few key questions.

Why Some Meetings Shouldn’t Be Emails

Meetings take up valuable time, but emails aren’t always a perfect alternative. Research from New York University found that even when two people know each other well, email communication carries a high risk of misinterpretation. Without non-verbal cues, messages lose tone, context, and clarity—leading to confusion, misunderstandings, and sometimes outright conflict.
One study even found that people judge intelligence differently based on communication method—those who spoke via email were perceived differently than those who spoke in person or over the phone. This means that important details, emotions, and even credibility can be lost when we rely too much on written text.

The key takeaway? The question isn’t just “could this meeting be an email?” but rather: How likely is it that this information will be misinterpreted? And what’s the cost if it is? If the risk of miscommunication is high, then a meeting—even a short one—might be necessary.

When to Hit Send Instead of Scheduling a Meeting

Before calling a meeting, ask yourself: What’s the goal? If it’s just to convey information—like a status update—then yes, this meeting can (and should) be an email. Here are some clear signs that an email is the better choice:

• You’re just sharing updates or reports that don’t require discussion.
• The information doesn’t need immediate feedback or clarification.
• No real decision-making, brainstorming, or problem-solving is required.
• It’s a recurring meeting that has turned into a routine check-in rather than a meaningful conversation.

Meetings should be dialogues, not monologues. If all you’re doing is delivering information that doesn’t require back-and-forth discussion, spare your team the calendar block and just send an email.

When a Meeting Beats an Email

On the flip side, some conversations shouldn’t happen over email—especially when they involve complexity, emotion, or collaboration. These are the types of interactions where being able to read tone, ask clarifying questions, and get immediate feedback is essential.

A meeting is likely the right call if:

• You need to brainstorm ideas or solve a problem together.
• The conversation involves decision-making that requires discussion.
• There’s a risk of misinterpretation and context matters.
• The topic is sensitive, like performance feedback, team restructuring, or organizational change.

For example, if your team is going through a restructure, discussing it over email invites confusion and unnecessary anxiety. People need to process the information, ask questions, and get clarity—all of which happens best in a live conversation.
One simple rule: If people need to read between the lines, there’s a high chance of misinterpretation, and it’s probably a meeting.

Recurring Meetings That Should Be Emails

Many of the worst offenders aren’t one-off meetings—they’re recurring meetings that have outlived their usefulness. A weekly status update that’s just a series of individual reports? That’s not a meeting—it’s a series of monologues that could be handled asynchronously.

Instead of defaulting to “because we’ve always had this meeting,” take a hard look at what’s actually happening in that time block:

• If the meeting is just for status updates, switch to a shared document or email report.
• If decisions or discussions are happening, keep it on the calendar.
• If there’s no active collaboration or problem-solving, reconsider whether the meeting is necessary at all.

Great teams review their recurring meetings regularly. If the only justification for a meeting is tradition, it’s probably time to hit “cancel” and send an email instead.

To ensure that in-person interactions are truly productive, leaders should regularly evaluate their approach and consider strategies for running effective team meetings that foster engagement and clarity.

Quick Decisions? No Meeting Necessary

Sometimes, decisions need input but don’t require a live discussion. Are we moving forward with this vendor? Yes or no. Is the company holiday party on Friday or Saturday? Vote now. Are we hiring this candidate? Thumbs up or down.
When all the necessary context has already been shared, and it’s just a matter of making a choice, an email (or Slack poll) is faster and more efficient. You don’t need a meeting to make the final call.

Your Homework: Fix One Meeting and One Email

Now that you have the framework, it’s time to put it into action. Look at your calendar and find one meeting in the next month that could be an email. Cancel it. Now, look at your inbox and find one email thread that became confusing or led to misinterpretation. Recognize that it should have been a meeting.

No, don’t schedule that meeting retroactively—but commit to handling similar situations better next time.

Meetings aren’t inherently bad. They’re just overused. And emails aren’t perfect either—they’re just misused a lot of the time. The goal isn’t to eliminate meetings or rely solely on email. The goal is to be intentional about when to use each one. Because ultimately, the best way to respect your team is to show that you value both their time and their voice—and that means making smarter decisions about whether that next meeting should actually just be an email.