Join Lisa Karlin Curtis, Tech Lead at incident.io, as she shares her expertise on how to make meetings effective. Dive into actionable strategies to improve meeting quality, focusing on preparation and structure. Lisa highlights the importance of empathy and emotional needs in workplace interactions. Discover innovative approaches to rethink meetings, especially in a remote world, advocating for fewer but more productive gatherings. With anecdotes of both chaotic and successful meetings, she emphasizes the balance of preparation and engagement for optimal outcomes.
Defining clear objectives at the beginning of meetings fosters alignment and ensures productive discussions among participants.
Incorporating empathy into meetings, such as acknowledging emotional states and offering breaks, enhances engagement and communication effectiveness.
Deep dives
Importance of Meeting Structure
A well-structured meeting is critical for achieving productive outcomes. Without clear objectives, participants may lose track of the purpose, which can lead to disorganized discussions that veer off-course. Defining the goals and the expected outcomes at the beginning helps ensure that all participants are aligned and focused. This alignment fosters a collaborative environment where everyone's input can effectively contribute to the desired outcome.
Empathy and Human Connection
Recognizing the human element in meetings is essential for fostering a positive work environment. Meetings conducted with empathy and awareness of people's emotional and physical states can lead to better engagement and more effective communication. Lengthy meetings that ignore the natural limitations of concentration can result in diminishing returns, leading participants to feel overwhelmed or disengaged. By considering the needs of others, such as incorporating breaks or varying types of interactions, meetings can become more enjoyable and productive.
Reviewing and Optimizing Meeting Cadence
Regularly assessing the need for meetings and their frequency can greatly enhance productivity. Over-reliance on meetings may lead to wasted time, especially when many discussions could be efficiently handled via email or other asynchronous methods. Evaluating each meeting's purpose allows teams to eliminate unnecessary gatherings and focus on those that genuinely require collaboration. This critical review ensures that time is allocated efficiently, allowing individuals to concentrate on their work while still fostering necessary communication.
In this interview, we chat with Lisa Karlin Curtis, Tech Lead at incident.io, about running meetings that, well, don't suck. In it, she gives actionable advice for running your own meetings, emphasizes why empathy in the workplace is important, reflects back on bad meetings she's run, and more.
Read Lisa's blog post here: https://incident.io/blog/how-to-run-meetings-that-dont-suck
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