why meetings rot your brain (and waste your time)

This from "Rework" by 37Signals, page 108. Please share with anyone you're planning to meet with anytime soon:


Why meetings are toxic:

•They're usually about words and abstract concepts, not real things
•They usually convey an abysmally small amount of information per minute
•They drift off-subject easier than a Chicago cab in a snowstorm
•They require thorough preparation that most people don't have time for
•They frequently have agendas so vague that nobody is really sure of the goal
•They often include at least one moron who inevitably gets his turn to waste everyone's time with nonsense
•Meetings procreate. One meeting leads to another meeting leads to another...

I share this as much for me as for anyone I meet with(I promise not to feed into these if you promise too). If we seriously must work in a "do more with less" environment, I suggest we edit this notion to read "do more, waste less." As in waste less of all of our time.

That is all.

graphic facilitation

While in Chicago at a conference last week, I came across an actual job title for something I've been doing my entire life during meetings. This thing? Doodling. Except a speaker at the innovation conference talked about different learning styles and the popularity of a visual way to absorb and process a meeting or brainstorming sessions. A "graphic facilitator" is someone who listens, synthesizes and draws what (s)he hears being said during the meeting. The benefit to participants? It's something of a "group mind map" of the direction of the meeting that allows people to easily track the flow of the meeting and do so in a very provocative, easy to follow way. To my surprise there are people out there right now who do graphic facilitation as a full-time job. Personally, I thing graphic facilitation is another example of what I'm feeling as a backlash to full-tilt technology. There is something engaging, disarming, charming about simple lines telling simple stories.

Check out how graphic facilitation works by plugging in "graphic facilitation" on YouTube. Give it a try and see if it helps your next big meeting. If so, let me know (if you want me to hang out at your meeting and draw on the wall, let me know). I tried it last week at a meeting that was half live bodies in the room and several on a conference call. It was a nice way to capture the spirit and trajectory of the meeting (at least for those of us in the room in PA). Also made it very easy for people in PA to speak to people in FLA about points made in the meeting's over last 90 minutes.

Gary

Making plays in small places, eh?

The Canadian Olympic Ice Hockey was supposed to win the gold medal in Vancouver, so there's really no surprise there, right? Actually, there was. The way they did.

After losing to the U.S. early on, it was gut check time for Sidney Crosby and the Canadian team. In the final game against the U.S., the pundits identified the reason the Canadians were able to prevail: the were able to make plays in small places.

I love what this expression means: Making plays in small places. In the context of the game, it meant winning the battles in the corners and around of the net. Winning in all the pivotal places that could turn the game in your favor. I believe the same could apply to business, professional development and innovation. Companies and employees that learn to "make plays in small places" make all the difference between winning and losing. Between growing and being stuck. Between standout careers and vanilla careers. Whether we know it or not, every day we have chances to make plays in small places. In the clutch, do you battle or give in? Do you stick to your guns and make things better or do you fold up your tent and catch the first train home? The decisions we make, the battles we choose to engage in, the effort we put in to add value at any and every stage of a project. In today's "doing more with less" business world, "making plays in small places" is the answer to getting the gold. Frankly, THAT'S what doing more with less means is all about.

Great teams, great companies, great people know how to do it. It's what separates players like Sidney Crosby from everyone else. They put their mind to it every day. IN every situation. It's a part of their DNA.

What plays in small places will you make today?

How's your collaboration?

-How well do you and your colleagues work together?

-How well do you brainstorm?

-How do ideas flow within your organization?

If you are interested in a white paper that can help you and the people you work with work better, let me know. It's called Better Brainstorming in the Idea Economy. I'll gladly email you a copy. I'd be interested in your feedback.

-g

Why they don't return your calls