Our Perspectives
Show up for business
09 February 2010
Paula Mullin
How many people can admit to attending a meeting and really not being fully present? Well you are not alone. Research has shown that over 91% of people have admitted to day-dreaming in meetings and 74% have brought in other work to do during meetings. So how productive are meetings in business if people are showing up in body but not in mind?
We have all heard that “time is money”. Now more than ever, that expression should be a critical mantra in any business. With companies under pressure to increase revenue, squeeze budgets and generally watch every penny, watching the clock should be as important. Meetings which run over time, lack clarity with people attending for the sake of attending are frankly bad business practices and should be eradicated in any company keen to come out the other side of this recession.
The negative impact of unfocused meetings stretches way beyond the financial implications in an organisation. The frustration that it can cause for people who are keen to get the most out of meetings should not be under-estimated. Attending a meeting where it is blatantly obvious that others in the room are in another world, either because of the constant distraction of a mobile phone or Blackberry, or an all consuming day-dream can and will cause others in the meeting to feel de-motivated. If those that originally felt motivated and inspired to get a job done, decide “why should I bother if they don’t care” it will spark a downward spiral which results in unhappy people not achieving their potential.
So that is what can happen, when people don’t “Show up” for meetings… what can be done in a company to reverse this trend?
- Begin by looking at the meetings scheduled in your diary and decide, who is the meeting with and what do you hope to achieve? Is the meeting actually necessary?
- Ensure that everyone attending the meeting has clarity on the purpose of the meeting. This is probably the single most important factor of any meeting; if people are all working towards the one objective then you will more than likely achieve that objective. If everyone is moving in different directions the objective will not be reached.
- It sounds so simple but have a clear timeframe set for the meeting, when people know that they have to focus for a certain amount of time they are much more likely to remain present. Set the time and stick to it.
- Remember when you bring a group of people together they will all come with their own issues, they will be thinking about the pile of work sitting on their desk or they will be worrying about something else they have to do. Or they may just be thinking of what they will have for lunch! One way to get around this is to ask everyone to come into the room – remind them that they only have to focus for X amount of time. Ask them to leave any interfering issues at the door, it can even help to create a visual tool e.g. there is a box at the door mentally drop all your thoughts unrelated to this meeting in the box and you can feel free to pick them up on your way out the door.
- Another basic tip is to ask people to remove any form of electronic messaging devices from their space. How can anyone be expected to focus on a topic when there is a constant flashing or vibrating on their phone in front of them, reminding them of all the thoughts that they have placed in the box at door?
- Monitor the energy levels of people in the meeting, if you notice energy lacking on a given subject don’t be afraid to highlight it. Sometimes the simple act of drawing people’s awareness to the situation will automatically create a shift – check in with people and ask if there are blocks on that particular topic and clarify what has to happen to move things on
- Have a clear means of wrapping up the meeting which checks actions against the original purpose of the meeting. Ensure that everyone understands their role, what they have to deliver on and when it has to be complete
- Thank people for their time, presence and energy
It is clear from all the actions outlined above that it is important to have one person driving the meeting. If there are significant meetings planned in your company that require everyone in the room to fully contribute, it is advised to engage the help of an experienced external facilitator, to take the pressure off and manage the meeting for you. The presence of an independent facilitator will create a sense of objectivity to the meeting, they will guide the group towards their shared purpose and they will ensure there is clarity for everyone attending. But most importantly they will ask people to actually show up for the meeting, not just in body but in mind too!
For more information on meeting facilitation please contact paula.mullin@drury.ie / 01 2605000
COMMENTS
16 February 2010 @ 08:52:02
Hi Paula, I think we have all been in these meetings. Taking a leaf from the hierarchy of needs one of the simple things that often gets forgotten about is ensuring that attendees most basic needs - i.e. food - is met. Especially for meetings that run close to lunch or tea time it is amazing how much more positive people are. Eoin
Eoin Kennedy from Slattery Communications
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