Model Meetings

Does this make your blood boil?

Model Meetings has been focusing this week on Imposter Syndrome and how it manifests in meetings – and we are certainly seeing a lot of evidence that it affects a huge number of professional workers. Employees are holding back on their thoughts, not being as candid, and generally communicating less. In a business environment driven by rapid technological advances and new competitors closing in, not getting the best ideas and thoughts from employees is definitely a significant handicap that needs to be addressed. Our Monday post summarized some research from interviews, and this summary post will take a look at the results of our two polls. Our first poll question this week asked readers to think about their experiences while attending company meetings. We were wondering whether or not there were clues in the behaviors of meeting participants that indicated they might have Imposter Syndrome. We asked “How do you see 'Imposter Syndrome' manifesting in meetings?” Not asking questions 20% Not offering thoughts 33% Showing nervousness 27% Apologizing a lot 20% The results indicated that Imposter Syndrome manifests over a wide range of behaviors, with no single behavior dominating. What can be done to help? Perhaps applying a simple point scoring system could be used, with one point for each of these four behaviors, with scores of three or four warranting a check-in with the participant by their boss or the meeting owner. Our second poll delved into the factors that drive higher levels of Imposter Syndrome in meeting participants. We asked: “What triggers 'Imposter Syndrome' in meetings?” Boss in the room 25% Large meeting 38% When I am presenting 13% Too many people I don't know 25% This poll showed a strong alignment around large meetings setting off feelings of Imposter Syndrome. This matched what our interviewees told us prior to the poll – that large meetings brought out their nervousness about making mistakes in front of a crowd. One solution here is straightforward: try to reduce the size of your meetings. This can be done by reorganizing meetings, breaking a small number of large meetings into more nimble but smaller meetings with greater engagement and candor – where sharing ideas is more relaxed. Does your company need help bringing large meetings under control? The Model Meetings online course can help you tame those unnecessarily big meetings. Reach out in the comments below and we can set you up with a 30-day trial of the online course.

Do I really belong here?'

Are we all imposters?

Has Anyone NOT Experienced Imposter Syndrome? Common among professionals, Imposter Syndrome manifests everywhere in the workplace –?carrying with it a mindset of self-doubt and internal anxiety. And with meetings taking half or more of the time of many professionals, there is a good chance that the participant across from you may not feel like they belong. In recent interviews we have heard a lot of examples of Imposter Syndrome and the emotional impact that it has on employees. One young interviewee pointed out that she was the “only team member without a graduate degree” and had “less than one year of experience.” Like so many others with Imposter Syndrome, she was terrified that she might say something dumb in meetings. One of the challenges of Imposter Syndrome in meetings is that some meeting participants feel that there is no one to talk to about it since they are reluctant to broach the topic with team members. One common symptom of Imposter Syndrome in meetings manifests as participants not speaking up when they have a thought. This not only creates anxiety for the participant, but it robs the meeting of potentially valuable insights. How can meeting owners help to eliminate this problem? One of our interviewees had a quick response –?have smaller meetings. Even with his Ivy League degree, his anxiety peaked in large meetings, but fell away fast as meetings became smaller where his fears of speaking up melted away. Does your company need help bringing large meetings under control? The Model Meetings online course can help you tame those unnecessarily big meetings. Reach out in the comments below and we can set you up with a 30-day trial of the online course. Do you want to help us gather more information about Imposter Syndrome in meetings? Watch for our two poll questions on Imposter Syndrome this Tuesday March 19 and Wednesday March 20, publishing at noon ET. March 19 poll is now published: https://lnkd.in/e9tuPAcf March 20 poll is now published: https://lnkd.in/eZ8EekMu Interested in being interviewed by Model Meetings for a future post? Reach out. #humanizingmeetings #impostersyndrome There are experts on LinkedIn who can help: Lisa Orbé-Austin, PhD Jayashri Sarkar Melody Wilding, LMSW

The video call starts and ... it's just disembodied voices

A recent WSJ article weighs in right in the title – ”Yes, It’s Rude to Use Your Laptop During Meetings” The author, Nina Molina, argues that while some co-workers may excuse some in-person meeting typing by a mother checking in on children who need some attention, she warns employees not to “abuse the charity” saying that there is a “difference between checking in on a child at home and texting laughing-crying emojis in response to your friend’s meme.” For those who feel compelled to type in a meeting, Nina recommends looking up and nodding to “show engagement and active listening.” I would add that you should be careful with that nodding, however! Other participants may assume you are paying attention and assign you a task, only to discover that it never made it into your head. If the task remained unfinished it could derail the entire team who counted on you to complete the task. How about stepping out of the meeting to do the typing? Trying to multitask by typing with family members and pretending to participate in a meeting is shortchanging both. Do you use a laptop in meetings? And is that more for work or more for personal reasons? As a meeting owner, how do you feel about laptop use? #sciencehouse #meetings

Who is that, hiding in the darkness?