Help! Not Another Meeting!

How is it that in the age of artificial intelligence and attempts to colonize Mars that meetings in the workplace can feel so incredibly unproductive?

That we still experience meetings whereby we talk about the same things, spend more time complaining about problems than generating solutions, and fall back in to the same kinds of circular discussions and avoidance of the real issues?

A significant reason for this is the fact many workplaces, and the teams of people that make them up, have not intentionally set out to create new ways of coming together that aligns with the real purpose for meeting in the first place.

Instead, we operate on autopilot and habituated ways of coming together because that’s the way ‘we do meetings around here’.

There is however real benefit in intentionally creating a meeting culture that is not just about ‘turning up’ but really about ‘showing up’ and having a skilful discussion of the real issues that move a team and a business forward. Even addressing those weighty elephants that can tend to loom large in meeting rooms!

So how can teams get a better handle on their meetings and get the most out of them?

Tip 1: Clarify the real purpose for coming together

Setting the intention of the meeting prior to coming together is a key way to ensure everyone is on the same page and can attune their mindset and behaviours to what is most aligned to that purpose.

Sometimes teams might need to come together to connect and build trust. They may have been working apart for some time or need to meet to work out how they might operate more collaboratively.

In these instances, an hour-long meeting around a table in a meeting room is going to be the least effective way of realising that objective. Instead, consider getting out of the boardroom, having a breakfast or lunch gathering, or simply changing the location of where you normally meet.

Invest in taking more time to share experiences and perspectives and make it less about task and to-dos and more about connecting as people, person to person – not so much job role to job role.

Sometimes inviting a facilitator to design and shape these kinds of sessions can be helpful if this way of connecting doesn’t come easily for the team and its leader. Just because you lead a team doesn’t mean you are naturally good at designing sessions where the primary objective is connection! And that is okay.

At other times, the main objective of coming together is simply to share information. In these instances, it is worth considering whether face to face or virtual is best, and whether even sharing via email or other technology suffices over an actual meeting. All of us have been privy to many meetings which would have been better covered off via email communications, if at all!

If coming together is necessary to do this, then this is where structured stand up meetings can be very effective. I suggest a 5 minutes per person time allocation with each person to provide an update on what is currently on their plate; current challenges; where they need help or what support they might need from the team.

Meetings with the intention to be more creative or to come up with new ideas, ways of operating require an altogether different handling. 

Firstly, ensure that everyone knows the intention is to generate new and different ideas or approaches to a problem. You need to frame the meeting appropriately for its desired outcome.

The pace of these meetings should feel different – slower, more questioning, playful and expansive. This is why people use butchers papers and post its, or get rid of tables and/or chairs - to help people tap into a different energy and way of thinking and being.

For creative meetings, finding a way to help people get into a positive mood state is critical – great ideas about new possibilities don’t flow easily from a negative mindset.

Starting with some appreciative questions and engaging in positive visioning or a reflective practice can help, as can setting a helpful frame such as adopting a beginner’s mindset and seeing things with fresh eyes.

Tip 2: Always have a designated facilitator or meeting chair

Many meetings suffer from the absence of someone to run the meeting. This doesn’t mean what they say goes, but instead is about ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to contribute (a key component of psychological safety) and taking control of anyone behaving like a vortex or suckers of life force!

People tasked with this role (and it can be a rotating one) should make sure that the objectives of the meeting are realised and that there are clear actions, accountabilities and timeframes at the meeting’s close.

Most importantly, they should ensure that the most important issues are prioritised by getting agreement on what these are at the outset, and even better, clarify the rules of engagement for the meeting to ensure desired meeting behaviours are demonstrated.

Keeping people focused and calling out those who seem distracted (for example, always on their device, not actively listening) is an important role for meeting facilitators.

Tip 3: Allow everyone time to ‘arrive’ and get present

Often times, people spend their days running from some sort of meeting to another. If you want people to contribute fully, give them time to get present.

This is as relevant for stand ups as it is for creative sessions. People who aren’t present in mind (although there in body) are drains of energy and distractions in themselves.

Practices to support this can be simple as intentionally pausing for a moment when everyone has arrived allow people to catch their breath or asking people to take a moment to themselves to get clear on their intention for the meeting, what they hope to get out of it, and how they would like to contribute. I have found these small tweaks to revolutionise the productivity of people coming together.

Tip 4: Actively build connection for virtual meetings

The reality is that more and more of our meetings are taking place on conference calls and over the internet. These virtual meetings require an even more tailored approach.

For one on one calls, it is important that we take the time to get to know people on the other end of the line by asking how they are at that moment, find out how their day or evening is, and what has been happening for them before launching into work matters.

When meeting with someone in the virtual world, we need to make even more of an effort to connect to them as people – to better facilitate connection and understanding but most importantly, to build trust.

We all know that the presence of trust is a significant predictor of effective working relationships but forget that we need to intentionally amp up how we build it when we are not able to use body language, eye contact, facial expression as our primary tools for connection.

Conclusion:

There is nothing inherently boring or negative about meetings. They can be forums in which minds can be opened and challenged, new ways of thinking and operating negotiated, and our sense of camaraderie and connection with our colleagues enhanced.

If the quality of the meetings you participate in are at an all time low, it is worth taking the time to think about how you can transform them into a productive, relevant and energising spend of your time.