STOP IT: 12 Horrendous Time Wasting Behaviors to Eradicate From Meetings (Beyond Basics) Part II: 7-12

Thank you for your comments on Part I of this blog.?? There was a lot of energy and frustration around this topic!? When you go to a meeting that is well-run, focused and fulfills its purpose it feels good and can be very energizing.? However too few meetings are like this.? Taking into account compensation, associated costs and missed opportunity costs of eight to ten people in a room for an hour, meetings can cost organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars.? So STOP IT and demand something better from—and for—yourself and others.? Now let us continue to items 7-12...

7) Repeating or Rephrasing the Obvious

There’s no need to rephrase or reflect a statement if it is totally obvious and painfully clear to everyone. Years ago I knew a fellow who, in meetings and even one-on-one discussions, would step back, pause for dramatic emphasis, and repeat what was just said.? This can be a form of showboating to show that you understand the topic.? The danger is that you’re sending the message that you believe that without your help, the rest of the team would be hopelessly lost.? Most of us don’t like being patronized, whether it’s intentional or not.? Solution: If this starts happening frequently, you need to shut it down.? It might be a great time to revisit a discussion on meeting protocol where you collectively decide what is productive and anti-productive behavior.

8) Gripes and Gossip

As some of you may know, I detest gossip for many reasons.? Not only is it unprofessional and erodes trust with everyone, it is a huge time-waster.? And it certainly has no place in meetings.? Same with griping about work, the bosses, etc.? I get it, sometimes we need to vent a bit and get things off our chest.? But not at a meeting. (If you need to do this, make it a proactive exercise to discuss your gripes with a trusted friend.? It will be healthier and more productive.) Gossiping and griping create a crazy energy—something akin to a shark feeding frenzy.? Everyone jumps in recklessly and cranks up the agitation. This can unravel a meeting in a matter of moments. Solution: In the short term shut it down and bring it back online by reaffirming the purpose of the meeting.? In the long-term, be sure to make time for social gatherings to let off steam and laugh at the nature of life in an organization.?

9) Blathering On

In recent years I have tried to practice what my English professor preached in college: what is worth saying should be said simply and clearly.?? Or as Shakespeare wrote: “Brevity is the soul of wit.”? ?There is a premium on being precise, concise and to the point.? In a meeting, if your point is proving to be more complex than you are prepared to support, punt.? Come back later with a clearer explanation or model.? Even if it’s a valuable idea, its value will be lost if the blathering kicks in.? We need to be thoughtful with our speech.? Meeting attendees rarely have the patience to do your work for you.? Don’t just throw words and ideas out there in scattershot fashion.? People cannot leave the meeting physically, but they certainly leave it mentally when someone is blathering on and on.? And on.? The solution is simple. Think about what you are going to say and get to the point.

10) Violent Agreement

Yes, we all agree on this!? Therefore there is no reason to keep selling, proving or discussing it. At one particular company they used to call this phenomenon “violent agreement”.? Time to move on. Solution:? When you find the group is in total agreement, announce this for closure and change subjects. Don’t you agree?

11) The Rush Ending??????

Just because you chose to spend extra time on an important subject or did not run the meeting effectively does not mean you should try to force the remaining three-quarters of the agenda items in the last five minutes.? I see this happen far too often.? “OK, we have five minutes and need to push through these five items.” And then the rush is on. Chaos and yelling—it can get quite ugly.? Know and accept that you are not going to get what you need.? By shortchanging the topics the buy-in will be low, people will feel agitated and the flurry of activity is gaining you no real progress.? Solution:? Don’t try to squish anything in. Simply reschedule for the next meeting or come up with some other modality for distributing the information or making a decision.?

12) Please Let Me Go the Bathroom

Ever have the kind of day with back-to-back-to-back meetings that all run over time? And you find yourself bypassing the much needed bathroom break because you are perpetually late?? And of course that meeting goes over time because not everyone was in the room when it was supposed to it start.? Solution: End five minutes early so people can walk to their next appointment and take care of their biological needs.? Simply set the agenda for 5 minutes to the hour or half hour.? Trust me, most meetings are 30 minutes or 60 minutes out of habit not because they need that time.? If you schedule a meeting for 60 minutes you and the people assembled will use 60 minutes.? The time will always be filled up with something.? But the good news it you set the meeting for 45 minutes you will fill that space only.? Shorter meeting times often make people subconsciously more focused because they know time is limited.

The 12 Horrendous Meeting Behaviors derail performance and can suck the energy out of anyone’s day, but the point here isn’t to run militant and rigid meetings. It is really about maintaining focus and limiting the above pitfalls while generating a spirit of openness and cooperation.? Meetings are where we can get things done and make solid team decisions, which feels invigorating.

The “Stop It” series of blogs tell it like it is so businesses can improve.? They are inspired by the upcoming book, Stop It:? Eradicating Inane and Insane Business Practices by Michael Denisoff.? They are intended to vividly call out organizational practices--some of them taboo--that diminish productivity and crush the spirits of employees.? Sane and vibrant alternatives are offered for each Inane and Insane pitfall.? Feedback and comments are welcomed.?

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