Did your meeting pass the 'motion activation' test today?

Have you been in a workplace in a green, energy conscious building, and noticed how lighting switches on and off based on movement in a room?

For some buildings it's the bathrooms or kitchen areas that have this feature. 

For brave workplaces, it's in meeting rooms too. 

Next meeting, check whether you pass the motion activation test. 

If the lights switch off - you're too still..., dead still ! Dull meeting. Disengaged participants. Poor outcomes. 

And note... passing the motion activation test doesn't mean waving madly at the sensors so that the lights switch back on!

It means you're having a stand-up, sit-down, stand-up, move around, collaborate and really 'work' meeting. 

A meeting that's active, engaging, physical, creative and collaborative. 

If the lights switch off, you MUST switch things up, fire up the content, style and agenda.

You have to make that meeting and conversation environment one that people want to be in.

And more importantly, an environment and a piece of work that they want to contribute to. 

Move. 

Press pause - check you're talkin' about the right thing

Ooo eeee! Sometimes I think these sorts of behaviours are long gone but I was in a meeting today and three colleagues all spoke over the top of each other... for several seconds. It felt awkward, rude and just... well, wrong!

I was taking a project brief in this meeting. My job = listening. But I had to step in and play facilitator, to make sure I got to hear what each of them were saying. 

Sounds so basic, so simple. One person speaking at a time. But no. 

Three people trying to get 'air time' at the one time so I literally hit the 'pause' button. 

I said 'Let's pause a moment and hear what each of you need to add to this brief'.

I pressed 'play' for each of them so we got to hear one 'track' at a time. Two of them had relevant content and thoughts and information. The third had great stuff too, but so unrelated to what we were doing there.

I step in and play facilitator again and say 'How does this content relate directly to the project and the brief today?'

She says 'Well actually it doesn't. Sorry about that.'

I'm happy to play traffic cop, air traffic controller, DJ or director - whatever metaphorical role you like - in a meeting and conversation - but if you're going to speak over someone... well, just don't.

Wait until there's a break in the music and then start your track.  

Hello... is anyone there? Teleconferences with Outcomes

I prepared a quick e-book for a client today who needed some simple guidelines to shift the way her team run teleconferences. 

This is not about the technical set up of invites and booking rooms and all that hoo-ha. 

Rather it's about a few principles the team can follow every time they are connected by the phone line. And we've only been doing that for 130 years - so no wonder we sometimes need to revisit a few of our techniques!

For her project team, she wanted to break the belief that : just because people can't see each other, doesn't mean you can't take visual notes or use a flip chart to capture the conversation. You can send it after the meeting. 

Additionally, her team's meetings were 'rush-fests'. Everyone rushing in and rushing out. Not enough focus on clarity. Clarity saves time in the long run. Clarity trumps speed. So s-l-o-w down; allow time. 

So I share a few tips to help you get some better outcomes from your phone hook-ups too.