People have found numerous ways to ruin a meeting. Here are two myths that make everyone uncomfortable. 1) Endurance implies strength. Back in the days of saber tooth tigers and walking to work, physical toughness was essential for survival. Now, modern managers have found a twisted way to apply this in meetings. It works like this: First the participants drink huge amounts of coffee. Then they lock themselves in a conference room while they carry on an unstructured discussion on unrelated topics. The participants earn acceptance by making intelligible contributions to mind-numbing babble while under the stress of ballooning discomfort. Weaklings earn ridicule and banishment by moaning or asking to be excused for a break. > What to do: Take a break every 50 minutes. People need the time to refresh and rest. 2) Fads are the answer. Rather than engage in a meeting that has any of the attributes of work, some people attempt to disguise the process. That is, they wear goofy hats, wave signs, use a cryptic language, swing from ropes, or make people behave like idiots. Sure, it's fun. Maybe. And it does provide income for the people who sell these systems. But otherwise, it's like pouring chocolate syrup on broccoli. It's easier to just eat the broccoli. Of course, few people know how to cook broccoli. And then all they have is a plate of chocolate syrup, which may taste good, but does little for their business. > What to do: Apply common sense. Learn how to hold real business meetings. And apply this test: If you feel like a fool doing something, there's a good chance it's a bad idea. |
