Meetings can often feel like daycare. We gather up our colleagues, get them to sit quietly for a few moments, and try to wrangle some semblance of direction from a group that wants to be anywhere but in this meeting. What’s the solution? Structure!
Just like a five year old, a small dose of structure into your team’s meeting life will do wonders for focus, productivity and general attitude (it won’t help get the grass stains out of their soccer uniforms, but that’s a different email newsletter…).
Here’s a quick five minute challenge for you to add a dose of sanity to the next meeting you’re in charge of running:
Pick the next meeting on your calendar you’re in charge of (could be later today!)
For that meeting, answer the following questions with one sentence each:
Purpose - What’s the reason we’re gathering?
Product - What will this meeting produce (that didn’t exist before we met)?
Personal Benefit - Why should you care about being here and participating? How does the meeting product make your (work) life better?
Process - How will we structure our conversation (this is your agenda)?
Review your answers, and cut/paste them into the calendar invite then hit “update”
A couple things to note:
You might struggle to answer these questions for recurring meetings. That’s a good thing! It means the meeting hasn’t been well defined. You have two options: cancel the meeting since it’s not a productive use of time (yay!) or discuss these questions with the meeting participants as an agenda item. It’ll help clarify why you’re spending the time and what everyone considers a “successful” gathering.
Ask others in the meeting to answer these questions themselves. You may learn a thing or two about unspoken expectations for your gathering.
Remember: Structure is the backbone of creativity. Adding some guardrails helps people stay on track, understand what’s appropriate to discuss and walk away feeling good about the time spent.
Virtual Public Speaking
When presenting on video calls, do you ever think…
I don’t know where to look. Do I look at the camera? At my slides? I've been doing this for months and it still feels awkward to me.
I have no idea if anyone is paying attention. I feel like my ideas are strong but I don't know how to engage the virtual audience in discussions. Whenever I ask a question all I hear is crickets.
I feel nervous even though I know what I'm talking about. I used to present in meetings all the time in person, but now when I'm working from home I don't have the same level of confidence sharing in hybrid meetings.
We have officially launched our “Virtual Public Speaking Skills” Online Class!
This self-directed, online video class is perfect for experienced presenters looking to "level-up" their virtual communication techniques. By the end of the course you'll be confidently preparing for virtual meetings, "dominating the mechanics" of virtual presentation software, engaging with your audience in quality two-way dialogue and wow-ing each and every virtual audience you find yourself in front of!
Quick Reads:
What if offices were the radical invention? - A post from last year that poses the hypothetical question:
”What would work look like if the pandemic happened in reverse?”
Want a Workshop or Coaching for Your Team?
Oak and Reeds offers training on hybrid communication, managing remote teams, interviewer skills, change leadership and more.
All our trainings can be conducted virtually using Zoom or in person.
Interested in scheduling a training for a team? Click the link below to set up some time to chat with Dave Collins about your training and coaching needs:
The idea of AI agents making their way into the workforce has been heavily discussed in the news, industry and every HR and leadership conference I’ve spoken at over the last few months.
As a speaker and facilitator, the topic I’m curious about is how should people managers approach the idea of managing and leading hybrid teams of humans and trained AI agents?