Thread by @ParmPlummer

Workplaces are slave to meetings- but are they really the best place to make decisions? A thread 🧵 on why I think our conventional view of meetings needs to change, inspired by reading this article #WomenEd #SLTchat 1/

https://twitter.com/TalentedLadies/status/1547838533175353346

Meetings are usually the standard default response to a project-“let’s have a meeting”. So, what is a meeting? A group of interested parties who come together at a time limited point to share/discuss ideas, reach consensus and identify actions 2/

However, I’d argue that most workplace meetings lack focus, drift according to whose loudest and don’t always arrive at the best outcomes. Why? 3/

Caveat-I know there are some excellent meetings going on in schools and businesses with superb facilitators who chair meetings effectively. If that’s the case, please comment and share. I’m genuinely interested to open up this debate as we spend so much time in meetings 4/

Why don’t meetings work? For a range of reasons. Start with the reason for the meeting. Often, it’s the first thing said when a project starts- “let’s have a meeting” But why? Should it be the first act? 5/

This leads to a lack of clarity on purpose. If you don’t know why you are calling it, how do you know what you want to get out of it? So, from the start, the meeting is doomed as you don’t know what you are trying to achieve. 6/

The agenda! Well, that’s if you get one. Often, it’s whatever anyone wants to put down, but that’s no surprise when no one knows why they are meeting in the first place. And the words AOB strike horror into the heart 7/

There’s an interesting dynamic going on with an agenda. There’s items for show- “here’s what I’ve been doing”; items for consent-“help me lead”;operational, training and strategic items. All mixed in to one agenda. No surprise you can’t finish on time 8/

AOB is just another way of saying- “I can’t be bothered to think too hard about preparing for this meeting so nor should you” Genuinely, for anyone who has a life- beyond meetings- it is the worst acronym ever, suggesting bottomless meetings 9/

Moving on to the meeting, the chair is meant to lead, facilitate and move the meeting on. But what happens is often more about who is the loudest in the room. Manners go out of the window, and people talk over each other in a “locker room” free for all. 10/

How do you get heard in a meeting? Shout. Loudly. Talk over other people. Be “forceful”. Does everyone get heard? Depends on the size of the group- too big? forget it. Whose voices are heard? Guaranteed not everyone. 11/washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/0…

It’s not just that women and minorities are silenced by the “locker room” style (inspired by what model btw?)-we know these groups are usually worse off at work overall- but such a format doesn’t really achieve an open inclusive discussion overall 12/ hbr.org/2018/03/for-wo…

Finally, the outcomes? Invariably, the actions move a task incrementally forward- usually further fact finding rather than meaningful action. Or decisions are made on the basis of a few rather than all voices. This leads to poor decision making 13/

And for anyone who has a family/life/other work, a meeting that goes over time due to drifting chat is frustrating and NOT inclusive. It’s time wasting. If you value productivity and respect your staff, stop. When people start leaving, that’s a sign 14/otter.ai/blog/meeting-s…

So, some solutions. Firstly, I’d recommend you read @patricklencioni Death by Meeting- a great book on this very issue and where I turned to when challenged by this issue 15/ amazon.com/Death-Meeting-…

Let’s start from the top. Be clear about your purpose. What’s the meeting for? What do you hope to achieve? Operational/ goal setting/ relationship building? The meeting title should reflect its purpose e.g. operational week ahead. 16/ fellow.app/blog/meetings/…

And if it can be put in an email, make it an email. So much wasted time in meetings that should never have been called 17/

With greater clarity comes a more defined agenda. By providing greater focus, it cuts out the chaff. Using questions can help define it further 18/ hbr.org/2020/02/how-to…

Onto the chair. Do your job. Manage the meeting, stick to the agenda, avoid drift and refocus discussion. Be aware of and allocate time to agenda points. You are there for a reason 19/ imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial…

Be inclusive. Include everyone’s voice around the table. Rotate the chair. Be aware of and an ally to women and minorities- amplify their voices. Including these groups around the table is a start, but pointless if you don’t listen to their voices 20/ scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&…

Don’t have AOB. That’s all I need to say on that one 21/

Finally, reconsider meetings all together for decision making. Can we make good decisions in this environment? Reflection is good and dissent challenges. Consensus decision making merely confirms bias so give teams time to think. Better decisions will come. 22/

I hope this thread gives you something to consider. I’m the quiet beta in the article. I hate meetings that waste my time and am often the lone dissenter because I think differently. I know I’m not alone #WomenEd #BAMEed #SLTChat Would love to hear your thoughts. FIN