Columnist, humorist and author Dave Barry wrote, “If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve its full potential, that word would be meetings.” Along with a chuckle, the statement carries a measure of truth. Meetings can be the cure for insomnia, they meander, and often, the only decision reached is when to schedule the next meeting. In a study conducted by the University of North Carolina and reported on in the Harvard Business Review, 71% of senior managers said meetings are unproductive and inefficient. More than 60% said meetings come at the expense of deeper thinking and miss opportunities to bring a team closer together. Meetings aren’t going away, whether in person or on screen. So, here’s a New Year’s resolution. Let’s have better meetings. How? That’s going to require a meeting. We’re kidding. Just read on.
The Great Outdoors
There are many ways to make meetings more productive. One of the best ways is to take the meeting outside. In our distancing, mask wearing world, the outdoors is an inherently safer environment. A major advantage of today’s technology is its mobility. You can bring your laptop and your tablet along, so even a Zoom meeting can be moved outside. Being outside stimulates the creative and problem-solving parts of our brains. Think about meeting in a large park, countryside, or café with a private patio.
Walk This Way
According to the Harvard Business Review, research has shown that walking leads to increases in creative thinking. Have a walking meeting; get the creative juices flowing and get a little exercise too. It’s a win-win. Or you can just stand up. “Stand-up” meetings are actually a thing. They aren’t quite as energetic as the walking meeting but, unlike the conference room confab, no one falls asleep.
Meeting and a Meal
Food is an effective way to kick start conversation. You could hold your meeting at a park and have a picnic or pick a restaurant with enough variety to make everyone happy. We recommend avoiding heavy fare which can make people sleepy. There are also many good reasons why the “three-martini lunch” is a thing of the past. High protein, low carbs is the way to go. Some coffee or caffeinated tea is a nice boost.
Music and a Meeting
There are anechoic chambers where the background noise is measured in negative decibels. That’s too quiet. The longest anyone has been able to bear it is 67 minutes. Most of us can’t take it for half that time. Silence is not necessarily golden and meetings often have awkward stretches of silence. Fill the void. A little background music adds to the atmosphere and sets a more relaxed tone.
More Meeting Magic
One of the most common complaints about meetings is how long they last. One remedy is to schedule the usual one-hour length for fifty-minutes. It’s only a ten-minute difference but the psychological effect is significant. A study back in 2009 showed that people that doodle have 30% better retention, so you might want to pass out small pads and pens at your next meeting. Meetings don’t have to be, and actually shouldn’t be, 100% serious. Play some games, laugh, lighten up.
Comfort is the final frontier. Uncomfortable chairs and uncomfortable temperatures can make for an uncomfortable meeting. Some companies go with sofas or even beanbags. A Cornell study says for optimum productivity you should keep the temperature at 77 and the humidity at 40%. We think that’s a little too high unless you’re creating a campaign about global warming.