During 2021, I researched the challenges people are having with meetings. Through interviews and surveys, I found that their challenges fall into five types: Group, Task, Process, Self and Tech.
Frankly, I thought technical problems would top the list, but getting people to engage and get along was mentioned almost twice as many times as tech.
And people really want solutions to these challenges. In particular, four topics are “top of mind”: engagement, personal skills, agendas and conflict. (Again, not tech.)
[Agendas?! – another surprise! Having or using agendas is seen as THE answer to a wide variety of challenges from lengthy, wandering meetings to dealing with contentious personalities. More on that another time.]
What I learned has helped me refocus my work around the topics of engagement, personal skills and conflict.
For example, this month I’m offering a workshop about dialogue. If you want to be able to face difficult conversations calmly -- whether in your organization or your personal life – this workshop may be for you! Interested? Learn more and sign up here: https://bickfordcollaboration.com/open-mind
Interested in tips for leading better meetings and/or current course offerings? Sign up for emails here.