Creating Great Workplace Meetings!
We're in an endless warp-hole of meetings in our jobs. We tend to get into too many meetings, just to align our thoughts, and get everyone on one page. Make no judgments, I respect meetings, considering the fact that they give an individual the opportunity to sit in a conference room/board room, enjoy the pleasures of a good cooling system, and treat themselves to some hot coffee and sandwiches.
But then, that's where the glee flees away.
You'd ask why, and the reason I despise meetings. Well, I don't, and honestly there isn't a better way to gather people together. But the matter of fact, is making everyone a participant which is challenging, and mostly 90 percent of the people, barring the notes maker and the high tone speaker; everyone else seems to be in their own sweet worlds, trying to make sense of the quagmire of conversations that happen during the duration. I've come to believe, longer the duration of a meeting, the more tense and irritable it becomes.
However, all is not at sea, and there are ways and means of ensuring each meeting has an outcome that can action the next meeting, and derive a decent output at every stage. This is by no far shot, the best rather its an attempt to put pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together -
- Time your conversations with an agenda. A minute-by-minute schedule puts everyone at an advantageous position and keeps them fresh during conversations
- Pardon yourself, in case you feel you've eaten up on time. It's advisable to allow the next person to speak, and note down the points that haven't been covered, and address them towards the end of the meeting. That's an etiquette, and is well received from all corners of the globe!
- A pompous show, with an overtly loud tone, can grab attention at the start, yet die down much later due to its impractical ideation, and cloudy fluff. It's important to value everyone's time and share ideas in a language understood by the majority
- Gender biases and loose talk crawl in during a lot of meetings, that are generally crowded with men or women too. It's advised to keep the conversation in a dialogue mode, energized with opinions of every person. Gender talk, character vilification and personal vendettas find no space in any meeting, and slanderous comments must practically have zero tolerance. In a world, that is seeing varied genders make the cut, being empathetic is a wonderful trait to have. Live to be inclusive and build bonds that last
- Not all meetings must have tough decision-making and instant ideas on its agenda. At times, an impromptu meeting to celebrate, commiserate, get personal and chatty (and in some cases, plank and get jiggy!) are highly appreciated for breaking the monotony, and adding some extra spice to office routines
Isn't it great when everyone gets the best out of meetings? Perfect stance, good technique and the right ammo allows everyone to tee off and mark their scorecards with satisfaction.
A toast to meetings, minus any roast, and people that gloat. Devoid of any floating miseries, and the appearance of a tote of opportunities, to make goods teams - the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T)
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