I am allergic to unproductive meetings. I tend to break out in a rash and need to leave immediately to seek relief. The author Scott Hunter is particularly poignant in describing the problem with meetings.
Because of what typically happens…people mostly hate meetings. What happens: as soon as someone presents an idea, everyone else listens to see whether or not they agree with what was presented. Since it’s pretty unlikely that they do, someone invariably makes the idea presented wrong or unworkable and presents their contrary view.
Once this is done, everyone jumps on the bandwagon and the meeting turns into a series of conflicting points of view, with everyone arguing why their solution is the right or best one.
We will often schedule meetings to solve a particular problem or make positive progress on an issue facing a team. It may be necessary to brainstorm to find a solution. The challenge is how to collaborate productively in meetings to achieve results. It helps to be aware of how we frame issues and leverage the power of creative imagination by learning to listen differently.
Tags: Communication, Imagination, Learning, Meetings
Posted in People, Workplace