One Simple Rule for Better Meetings
01 Feb 2013Witnessed this again first hand last week, and although this is well known it’s been rare to see in practice.
Hold your meeting in a room just big enough to fit the required participants while standing.
There should be a white board on one wall (at least), projection on the front wall, and a narrow standing height table in the middle. The only person with a laptop should be the facilitator. Having a narrow table discourages everyone from bringing their own device, which in-turn puts the emphasis on whatever topic was important enough to bring 4 or 5 people together.
Mix up the focal points during the meeting, don’t just stand around in a circle naval gazing. Remember meetings suck, and most of the time, participants would rather be back at their desk doing “real” work.
By reducing square footage, you’re increasing the likelihood of physical (and I mean actual touching, drawing, etc.) interaction with both the projector screen and white board. Not to mention that meetings will often end earlier, you’ve reached diminishing returns when the interaction begins dying off, that’s when it’s time to vacate.
Have you tried something similar with your team, how did it work out?