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One thing that’s not going to change in the upcoming year is meetings. And by that, I mean they’re not going away. I don’t know the exact number of hours. I’ve seen statistics ranging from 3 hours a week all the way up to 23 hours a week. Regardless, it’s a lot. So, the best thing to do is learn how to conduct a good one.
It starts with scheduling a meeting for the right reasons. I’ve mentioned before that there are only three reasons to conduct a meeting: 1) to convey information, 2) to solve problems, and 3) to make decisions. After that, the key to a good meeting shifts to the conversation and engagement during the meeting itself.
Here are a few articles about meetings that can serve as a reminder on how to lead a productive and effective session.
Meeting Leaders Don’t Have to Do It All
Meeting leaders need to remember that there is no rule that says they need to do everything. Ask others to get involved. Before the next meeting, go to a couple of participants and ask, “Would you mind keeping our parking lot at the next meeting?” Participants come to the meeting prepared – for the agenda and their role.
Remember Names Using the Rule of Three
During a conference on artificial intelligence, I met someone who saw me the next day and said my name. It was nice. And that’s the point. It’s nice when people remember you and your name. It’s nice when they say your name correctly.
Think about how this applies to the workplace. Do managers take the time to learn how to properly pronounce employee’s names? Or do they come up with some sort of nickname to make their life easier? You might think this doesn’t happen but trust me, it does. Granted, if an employee offers up a nickname, then great. But giving a person a nickname because someone doesn’t want to take the time to learn how to properly pronounce their name is disrespectful and does nothing to encourage a positive working relationship.
6 Keys for Effective Communication
Working in teams is a necessary part of work life. If you work in an organization, you probably work with an onsite team or maybe even a remote team. If you’re a consultant, you might be part of a project team. It’s possible in your personal life you’re part of a volunteer team. Working in teams happens all the time. And an essential activity with teams is communication.
Teams that learn how to consistently communicate well can perform at a high level.
And teams that don’t … well, they will struggle. I believe the keyword here is consistently. Even high performing teams can have communication misunderstandings. When that happens, team leaders will need to help the group. Even if the team leader doesn’t get directly involved, they might coach and support the team as they work through the disagreement.
Use Listening Styles to Become a Better Listener
In the business world, we spend a lot of time trying to sell our ideas to other people. The best way to do that is by communicating with them in a way that they prefer. They’ll be more receptive to what we’re proposing. Granted, it doesn’t always mean we’ll get what we’re asking for … but the conversation will be better and that can help.
Listening is an important communication skill. Not only do we need to be good listeners, but we need to understand how others like to listen. It will help shape communications and yield better conversations.
When someone leads a meeting well, it helps with the conversation. Which is the whole purpose of a meeting. Otherwise, you’re just talking at people. It’s important for participants to remember that they have a role in the meeting. Which is why it could be beneficial to think about how to be a good meeting participant.
Even the best meeting leaders can benefit from a refresher on meetings, which is what I hope is the takeaway from today’s article. Organizations should put an emphasis on providing training to people who will be asked to lead a meeting. One of the nicest compliments you can get is “That was an excellent meeting!”.
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