Why Most Meetings Suck

When Tom Hansen said most meetings suck, he hit on a rampant waste of human talent today. Given research that shows CEOs spend on-third of their working time in meetings, begs the question:

How do you engage more talents at meetings?

Consider that:

1. Only 5% of what’s heard sticks.
2. Tone determines who bullies or motivates.
3. PowerPoints can short circuit brainpower.
4. New facts hook best onto familiar realities.
5. 2-footed questions draw on both sides of the brain.

Mindguiding Trumps Mentoring

Meetings no longer rank the enemy of innovation when people teach one another. Shift your next meeting from a mentor approach – where one leader delivers – to mindguiding, or mutual mentoring. Innovation emerges when newbies teach veterans, veterans teach folks across traditional silos, and managers learn alongside folks they manage. Could a Steve Jobs be found at the table?

Ask the lecturer in this video and he will say he engages listeners.  He might even go on to suggest today’s audiences expect too much and give too little. Ask listeners and they may support these 100 reasons to run hard from lectures!

Have you considered lately how …

Tone Motivates or Silences

Ever notice how tone can flare an amygdala, fuel serotonin for creativity, release cortisol to shut down talent, or draw in dopamine to risk novelty?

How could tone build courage to risk innovations at your next meeting?

Death by PowerPoint

Rather than rely on bells and whistles of one talker, stir people’s multiple intelligences and innovation will reboot your next meeting.  How so?

1. Round table seating allows for people to interact.
2. Alternating leaders draws on unique facilitation approaches.
3. Shared visuals allow people to toss in new insights.
4. Key ideas applied could lead to mock-ups ready to market.
5. Mind-guiding allows people to piggy back on others’ strengths.
6. Questions build curiosity as a segue into novel contributions.
7. Baroque in the background ups productivity.

Complete survey to learn how people speak and feel heard at your reconfigured gatherings.

Question to Stoke Action

Two footed questions facilitate people to speak and feel heard.

• Stir enthusiasm for new ventures by asking, What if…?
• Hook new possibilities onto familiar practices by asking , Where to from here…?
• Create entry points for diverse talents by asking, How will you contribute that cutting edge to …?

When meetings draw on multiple talents –  members upgrade  from bored to brilliant. Could it happen at your next gathering?

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Created by Ellen Weber, Brain Based Tasks for Growth Mindset