Transcript The Seven Sins of Deadly Meetings Article By: Eric Matson

The Seven Sins of
Deadly Meetings
Article By: Eric Matson
Presented By: Marvin Okorafor
Date: October 26, 2006
Meetings:
Part of Business Life



Important vehicle for
human communication.
Help perpetuate the
culture of the
organization
Number of meetings
rising despite
technology
“Bad meetings make bad companies.”
Sin #1
Sin #1: People don’t take
meetings seriously
 They arrive late, leave
early, and don’t pay
attention.
Solution: Adopt mind-set that
meetings are real work
 Avoid punishments for bad
practices
 Make meetings uptime
rather than downtimes
“Most people simply don’t view going to meetings as doing work.
You have to make your meetings uptime rather than downtime.” –
William Daniels, American Consulting & Training
Sin #2
Sin #2: Excessively long
meetings
 Costs companies large
amounts of money
when people waste
time
Solution: Track costs of
meetings and utilize
technology
 Software allows
companies to monitor
cost of meetings
 Meetingware increases
productivity
“Bad meetings lead to even more meetings, and over time the cost
become awe-inspiring.” – Bernard DeKoven, Institute for Better Meetings
Sin #3
Sin #3: People wander off
topic
 Participants spend
more time digressing
than discussing
Solution: Get serious
about agendas
 Ignore distractions


Save indirectly related
topics for later dates
Specify meeting’s
decision-making style
“If you don’t have structured agendas, and people aren’t sure of
the decision path, they’ll bring up side issues that are related but
not directly relevant to solving the problem.” – Michael Fors, Intel
Sin #4
Sin #4: People don’t
convert decisions into
action
 Nothing happens once
meetings ends
 People leave meetings
with different views and
conclusions
Solutions: Convert from
“meeting” to “doing”
 Focus on creation
documents that lead to
action
 Use outlining programs
“You’re not just having a meeting, you’re creating a document…..Comments,
questions, criticisms, and insights should enhance the quality of the
document.” – Michael Schrage, Author of No More Teams!
Sin #5
Sin #5: People don’t tell
the truth
 Plenty of conversation
but no candor
 People don’t speak
their minds
Solutions: Embrace
anonymity
 Use technology to
enable people to
express opinions
anonymously
 Be sure to give credit
where it is due
“Even with people who work together all the time, anonymity
changes the social protocols. People say things differently."
– Jay Numaker, Ventana Corporation
Sin #6
Sin #6: Meetings missing
information so decisions
are postponed
 Most meeting rooms are
sterile and uninviting
 Meeting rooms are
usually out of
information flow
Solution: Get data, not
just furniture, into
meting rooms
 Allow space to store
materials
 Meetings now build
models, fill charts,
create artifacts
“People are constantly hauling materials to and from
meeting rooms. It’s much easier to just store things for
later meetings.”- Jon Ryburg, Meeting Ergonomist
Sin #7
Sin #7: Meetings never
get better
 People make the same
mistakes
Solutions: Monitor what
works
 Hold people
accountable
 Commit to improving
meetings
“Good meetings aren't just about work……It's more than collaboration,
it's 'coliberation' -- people freeing each other up to think more
creatively." – Bernard DeKoven
Any Questions?