You have just taken on a new management position. Refer to the photo in Exhibit 11.3.(https://openstax.org/books/organizational-behavior/pages/11-2-types-of-communications-in-organizations#ch16fig03)

Research in 2011 by O pinion Matters, w hich fo u n d th a t workers waste tw o h o urs 39 m inutes in meetings a week, equivalent to £26bn in lost GDP, appears to echo Webb’s conclusions that, even for otherw ise social creatures, such interaction has become onerous.

Webb - an econom ist w ho sp e n t 12 years as p a rtn e r and leadership coach at m anagem ent consultancy firm McKinsey & Company before founding Sevenshift fo u r years ago - says:

"We often focus attention on what-we’re discussing - the do cu m en t w e’re sharing, th e decision we n eed to make, th e message we w an t to get across - a n d very little to how w e’re having th e conversations. The n u m b er o f tim es I’ve seen sm art people spend long weeks p utting to g eth er a presentation, followed b y just a few m inutes - often on th e way to th e m eeting - o n how to make th e m o st o f them... It's a huge missed opportunity.” So w h e th e r you're chairing th e m eeting o r simply attending it, here are a few o f Webb’s tips for m aking sure y ou’re on to p form...

A v o i d g r o u p t h i n k . A g r e e m e n t is g r e a t b u t i f t h e r e ’s n o c h a l l e n g e , y o u ’r e p r o b a b l y m is s in g p a r t o f t h e p i c t u r e ”1 Prepare W hatever y our role, preparation is crucial, says Webb. She recom m ends setting in ten tio n s beforehand, including yo u r m ain p rio rity for th e meeting, challenging any negative expectations an d deciding w here you w ant to focus yo u r attention.

‘‘Which specific actions will help you m ake th o se intentions a reality, an d w h a t’s going to get in th e way o f things going as you h o pe?’’ she asks. “If you’re stressed a b o u t th e meeting, use physical feedback loops - smile broadly, breathe deeply, spread yourself o u t - shoulders back, head up, feet firmly planted.” And if you have a h an d in planning th e meeting, Webb advises you to th in k a b o u t th e timing. ‘‘Make it slightly sh orter th a n an h o u r o r h alf h o u r to give people som e m ental recovery time. And d o n ’t ru n over 90 m inutes w ith o u t a p ro p e r break.” W hen it comes to th e agenda, Webb says: “Try listing and introducing item s as questions, n o t statements: for example, ‘How can we improve team com m unication?’ ra th e r than ‘Team com m unication'.” 2 Start on a strong footing If you find th a t meetings stray aimlessly from th e agenda o r finish w ith o u t resolving th e issues, th e n Webb’s advice o n collaborative goal settings could prove useful.

“Ask, ‘W here do we w an t to be by th e e n d o f th is m eeting?’ and ‘W hat’s th e best way to achieve th at?”’ she suggests, even if you are n o t form ally chairing th e meeting. And if a positive attitude can help fram e th e m eeting th en try asking people to share th eir recent successes.

She adm its to setting up a ‘sm a rtp h o n e day-care' box "where people can voluntarily deposit th e ir p h o n e s” as p a rt o f a n o ­ devices rule. "Otherwise people will use up som e o f th e ir b ra in ’sprecious w orking m e m o ry on m o nitoring th e ir ph o n es and tablets, m aking everyone just a little bit d u m b er th a n th ey would be if th e y were concentrating.” 3 Making your mark Even if you’re n o t chairing th e meeting, using anecdotes th a t show an effect on colleagues o r custom ers will help make y our contributions m emorable, says Webb.

“W ith longer comments, break yo u r p oints into clear chunks to make it easier for people to process w h a t y ou’re saying. If 5 8 D ir e c to r F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 6 WorodsH srw t.bsew g week in get-togethers they could do without. How can you make the most of your meetings and ensure they matter?

S t r o n g b o d y l a n g u a g e w i l l h e l p m a k e y o u r i n t e n t i o n s a r e a l i t y you need to disagree or raise a concern, help others stay in open- minded discovery mode as you share your views. Say what you like about the idea on the table.

Be very specific. Then say, ‘What would make me like it more is...’” 4 Im p ro v in g t h e discussion Harmony is all well and good but if a meeting is to be successful then consensual nodding of heads may do little for the business. Avoid groupthink, says Webb. “It can feel great to reach quick agreement. But if you’re talking about something im portant and there’s no challenge, you’re probably missing part of the picture.” She suggests picking holes w ith questions such as, ’If person X were here, criticising our idea, what would they say - and what would we need to reassure them?’ On the flipside, if a meeting closes without agreement on all points, Webb recommends promoting calm by clarifying what you can agree on, and if you can agree to disagree on the rest.

“If not, do your best to summarise each position objectively, doing justice to each idea.” 5 H a n d lin g c h a lle n g in g b e h a v io u r “If people are being annoying, remember they’reprobably feeling threatened by one of the common triggers:

exclusion, unfairness, feeling unappreciated, a lack of autonomy, lack of competence, a threat to their values, or uncertainty,” says Webb. She suggests observing rather than trying to interpret their actions and thinking about w hether their needs are being met.

"Even if you’re not the chair, you can make them feel included by expressing interest in their views, and you can make them feel heard and respected by referring back to something they’ve said." 6 W r a p p in g up Where possible do a positive round-up. Webb suggests taking time to recap key decisions, reflect on insights from the meeting and agree on steps that each person will take.

"You can combine it with a ‘next steps' summary from each person, by asking everyone to say one thing they were interested or inspired to hear in the meeting and what they’re committed to doing, by when." H ow to Hove a Good Day by Caroline Webb published by Macmillan, £14.99 H s e v e n s h i l t . c o m □ (® C a r o lin e _ W e b b _ % REDUCTION IN WASTE WITH WORKFORCE PRO RIPS or more information visit www.epson.eu/inkjetsavingThe results speak for themselves Independent tests are based on comparisons with competitive laser printers epson.co.uk/RIPSHIGHLY RECOMMENDED EPSON E X C E E D Y O U R V I S I O N Copyright ofDirector isthe property ofDirector Publications Ltd.anditscontent maynotbe copied oremailed tomultiple sitesorposted toalistserv without thecopyright holder's express writtenpermission. However,usersmayprint, download, oremail articles for individual use.