Project Introverts - how to get out of that meeting ASAP!

Diversity in backgrounds, cultures, languages, thinking, styles and communication - they come together every time we communicate, engage and connect with people we work with.

If you're an introvert, you'll want to get your message across quickly, understand your colleagues quickly and then get outta that meeting or conversation ASAP. You may want to get back to the good stuff you were working on earlier - alone!

I've seen in several project teams recently how so many delays, derails and slow-downs come from simple misunderstandings.

"I thought you meant ..... when really you meant ....." or "You're talking about the big picture; I'm talking about this specific thing..." and it all drags on and on and on.

Being able to capture, draw out and understand what someone else is saying, and then convey your ideas and thinking is critical. To do it rapidly is the game here. The faster you can understand others and get your point across, the happier we'll all be. Unless you just want to sit 'n talk...

To speed up the process, get it sorted, get to understanding quicker and then get on with the other good stuff you're working on, you need two key skillsets...

1. facilitation skills (how to handle the stuff that happens when groups meet) and

2. visual agility (not arty drawing, but rapid sketching and visualisation).

When culturally, linguistically and geographically diverse teams 'get this', they step way up into higher levels of performance and move on (quickly) from misunderstandings and cultural hurdles.

Project teams have the opportunity to build this awesome skillset at a one day workshop I'm running in Melbourne on March 4, Visual Facilitation for Projects. Details here, early bird until February 19. 

Opening a can of worms

When your team or group gets together for some strategy, planning or important conversations, often what you plan to work on or think you need to work on is not the real issue. Real issues can be sitting below the surface.
 
In a planning session with a client recently we talked about what might be below the surface. ‘I don’t think we want to go there’, ‘that’s a can of worms and it’s more trouble than it’s worth’, ‘if we go there we’ll never get out!’ they said.
 
There can be a feeling that some of those big issues or topics will be too big and you’ll never get back on track, or it will be too touchy or difficult. Sometimes you might think it’s not important for the work you’re doing anyway… or you can plan the strategy without having to go there.
 
But time and time again in strategic planning sessions, retreats and company fireside chats with clients, the value of ‘going there’ can be seen. 
 
A board team I worked with who had a bright and creative agenda mapped out for the weekend, needed to take a right hand turn early on to deal with some fundamental financial and strategic issues. We went there.  Our original agenda and plan shifted and changed. For some, that was uncomfortable. But we did what was needed… and we got back and continued on.

One of my clients recently said : “Lynne was indeed the glue that held the discussion together while at the same time allowing the conversation to go where it needed to go, as touchy as it was...”
  
Good facilitation skills will give you the confidence to go to that topic and work with the team to address it.
But if you're not going to open up the can, then at least name and say what the can of worms is - a bit like reading the ingredients label on a product from a supermarket shelf. And there's a lot more of that happening these days!
 
A helpful meeting tool to start with the facts, move to opinions, generate ideas and commit to actions is my Facilitator 4-Step from a few issues back. 

So go on, open the can. Most cans of worms only have a couple of worms in them anyway and once they’re out, so many other things are easier to address and clearer to tackle. And the energy you now have – because you’re not stifling or dancing around those worms – is better redirected to the real game, the other issues and the important work of the team. Now where is that can opener? Oh, it's got a ring pull top - great!

Every meeting and conversation is a balancing act

Watching someone handle a meeting and conversation well, is just like the skill of a highwire walker. Balancing, woah over balance, back to centre, wait, steady, step forward, balance, wait...

The almost easy part is moving along the wire to achieve your outcomes. You can run across if you like. But you might lose people along the way. Or, everyone can be having a great time and participating, you'll achieve some outcomes but they won't be on topic or relevant.

So the balance is between achieving the meeting or session outcomes; involving and engaging the people who are there (in the room or dialling in remotely); and keeping things on topic. It's a balance and you need to let some slight overbalancing happen here and there, but get back to centre, steady and then keep stepping forward.

In a meeting, workshop, conversation today, notice how the balance is going. Is anyone really participating? Are you getting anywhere? Are you on topic? How are all three coming together to the applause of the crowd?

Focused talk... or off on a tangent

The quick pic image at the left for you this week is a good reminder: notice when conversations, meetings and discussions are focused and on-topic or wandering off on a tangent. Conversations do spark people’s thinking. It’s no wonder we think of other things or want to raise what we see are important or related topics when we're right in the middle of another.

So be aware of how you encourage divergent and convergent thinking when you’re leading or participating in a meeting or discussion. 

Divergent – open it up, open up the conversation and the discussion.
Convergent – narrow it down, close it up, wind it up.
 
If the talk goes off-topic, rather than rolling your eyes with ‘here they go again’, say that it sounds like it might be on another topic. Then you have a choice: proceed along the existing path or take the new path. I like to note what that topic, question or comment is. You can come back to it if you choose not to take that path right now. It can help to ask: 'Do we need to go along this path?' 'Does it tie in to our topic today?'  'Is this related?' 'Is this the time/place to talk about it?' Notice these are closed questions. If you do go along this new path, then it's helpful to open it up (divergent) with open questions like 'How does this....', "What parts of that...' or 'Where do these points...'
 
In true divergent and convergent thinking, divergent is about many possible solutions. Convergent is about one.

In business, I often see leaders, managers and meeting facilitators hit speedbumps when a topic is about to be wound up and converged ... and (often unknowingly) they ask another open question. Wham! It's open again. More divergent thinking and talking. Of course if it needs discussing and deciding you do that. But make sure the questions you ask suit either opening things up or closing them down.  

Are we all done on this topic now? Is there anything else to add to this before we move to the next point? Do we need any more time on this topic?
 
Notice how you as the leader, manager, consultant or facilitator contribute to diverging or converging.

FYI or more? How involved will people be...

When you engage with people, to get input or feedback or work with them to reach outcomes, how involved will they be? This week I’ve heard phrases like ‘consulting with’, ‘socialising the strategy’, ‘run it by them’ and ‘keep them in the loop’.
 
It’s vital that you plan for, and position, how involved people will be in you project, workshop, consultation. Position it clearly and upfront. You don’t want people coming along thinking their view is going to count if the ‘consultation’ is really about information. Or you ask about views and concerns but you have no way of incorporating them into the final design.
 
“Today’s meeting is for information only, to keep you up to date with progress…”
“Here’s what we want your input on; this part, not that part…”
“I’m getting your views on the project today and the ultimate decision will be made by the project sponsor...”
“We’re meeting with you to find out what your key concerns are so we can make changes to address them…”
 
Note the distinct differences:
Informing – it’s for information only so people understand what’s going on
Consulting – you seek feedback on the information, the alternatives or what might be decided on
Involving – you work with people to understand their concerns, and of course, you’re going to consider them
Collaborating – you work with people at every step of the way, working on alternatives and finding the solution with them
Empowering – you're giving the decision making power to them; you’ll do what they decide on.

It’s a broad spectrum from information through to empowering. And it’s much easier to engage and collaborate with people when you make it clear where you’re at.

 
So this is for your information (FYI). It’s up to you where you’d like to take it from here!