How to Attend and Host Meetings

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Meetings allow non-verbal language A lot of our communication is non-verbal. In asynchronous communication (e-mail, IM, etc), you miss out on important social cues like body language. Also, following a disconnected trail of emails and messages can get overwhelming. This type of communication can be misinterpreted - especially with nobody there to clarify.

Humans are social creatures by nature; meetings allow us to communicate in our most natural form. When people are brought together, they get to know each other better. This leads to a greater sense of community. This is important because it creates trust, mutual understanding, and better working relationships - all of which are needed to collaborate and make decisions.

What makes a meeting a "waste of time"? Select all of the correct answers.

Taking a closer look at participant behavior Each participant is responsible for making the meeting work. Being late signals that you had more important things to do, and it also gives the impression that you're unprepared. Not only does this give a poor impression, it also delays the meeting or prolongs the meeting if it needs to be stopped to catch you up on what you missed. Interrupting sets a negative tone with the rest of your meeting participants. It shows that you are not willing to listen to others and are more concerned with what you have to say. It throws teamwork out of the window - the whole point of meeting with others. Multi-tasking is a productivity killer. It can lower your productivity as much as 40%, meaning that you're not 100% engaged with the discussion. The lack of engagement and participation means that your team is lacking your contribution to achieve the meeting's goals. Arguing creates defensiveness. If you begin arguing with someone on their point, they may feel attacked and may also become defensive - setting off a very negative chain of events. A meeting is not for complaints and bickering, it's for problem solving. Keep focused on the situation.

How can participants contribute to help achieve the meeting's objectives? Choose all of the correct answers.

What happens when you disagree in a meeting? As much as we try to compromise and cooperate, disagreements are bound to arise in a meeting. It’s what happens when you bring different ideas from different people together in one room. What is the best way to disagree politely in a meeting so as to make your point, but without derailing the whole meeting?

Soften your approach Think about the way you approach a disagreement before you find yourself in one. Softening your approach can soften the replies you receive back, making the disagreement much more civilized. Avoid negatives, such as "I don't agree with you." or "That's not a good idea" Try instead using: “I understand what you are saying, however…” or “I have a different perspective on this one…”

Be Constructive Disagreements are healthy, but they're not helpful in a meeting if they cause arguments, hurt feelings, or defensiveness. Stay focused on the goal of the meeting by staying constructive during a disagreement. Listen to the other person and acknowledge their thoughts in a positive manner before responding. This shows the other person respect their personal opinions, and they'll be more likely to do the same for you.

Don't let it derail the meeting Know when to take a step back. This may be hard during a heated debate, but try to stay focused on the goal of the meeting. Is your stance worth potentially derailing an outcome to the meeting or its goals? If not, move past the disagreement and find a compromise.

Who is responsible for ensuring that the goals of a meeting are achieved?

What do you think? What could make Gina's meeting more productive?

Scenario 1: “Good morning, everyone. Apologies for asking you to meet last minute with me at such an early hour. Today we’re going to talk about how things are going on all of our projects. OK. Does anyone want to start? We can jump right in on anyone's project. Anyone at all?”

Scenario 2: “Mary and Fred, I understand that you have different opinions on this particular topic. Can we agree to perhaps disagree for the moment and try to move onto solving what we could do about the situation as it stands?”

Scenario 3: “I’m sorry, we’ll leave it there for today. Apologies that we’ve gone way overtime. I know you all have other obligations you need to get to. Did anyone take notes for today? Anyone? Hopefully everyone knows what they need to do before we meet again next week. Thank you.”

What problem can you detect in this scenario? “I’m sorry, we’ll leave it here for today. Apologies that we’ve gone over our allotted time by so much. I know you all have other obligations you need to get to. Did anyone take notes for today? Anyone? Hopefully everyone knows what they need to do before we meet again next week. Thank you.”