Meetings

Collaboration is what has made the human race so successful. So meetings are a brilliant idea. But sadly, in many organisations, whether in person or online, they are a source of frustration and wasted time. If this describes your experience, I can help in one of two ways:

 
If you had to identify, in one word, the reason the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be ‘meetings’.
— Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize-winning commentator

Meeting facilitation skills

Imagine if you were renowned for running effective, productive and even fun meetings…

The rise of the virtual meeting has made the need for good facilitation even greater, thanks to people’s scope for surreptitious multitasking, rendering most meetings even less focused and productive than they were when people were physically present. There are a raft of techniques that will enable you to influence people’s behaviour at meetings, both online and in-person, encouraging them to behave in ways that contribute to efficiency.

I can help you grow your understanding of the below-the-surface currents of meetings and sharpen your ability to identify what’s really going on, exercise subtle authority and manage the dynamics to keep things focused and productive.

Often this can be done subconsciously: the intersection of Kahneman’s System 1 with the Nudge theory of Richard Thaler, another Nobel prize-winner. If this sounds too academic for your taste, it’s simpler than it sounds: it’s about making the behaviour you want the path of least resistance.

 

What percentage of your time at work do spend in meetings? 

If you’re a middle manager, it’s likely about 35% of your time, and if you’re in upper management, it can be a whopping 50%.

What’s worse is how unproductive these meetings usually are.

Getting your voice heard

Ever feel frustrated that others don’t let you speak or don’t listen when you do speak?

 
 

Fed up with watching the big egos ride their hobbyhorses and air their grievances? Wouldn’t it be great if you could get your voice heard more often?

I can help you do this. There are all sorts of subtle ways in which you can make more impact at meetings, both virtual and in-person, raising your status and commanding attention.

A good place to start is by reading these blogs and/or watching these vlogs in which I outline some simple techniques which you can apply in your next meeting. And what’s more, no one will consciously notice the difference. But you would probably also benefit from some coaching to help master these techniques.

 
 
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“Bill softly cut right to the chase and in two hours of a one on one session gave me solid personalized points that I integrated immediately into public speaking, meetings and every day business conversations. Bill's training has increased my confidence on the trade floor and has made my communications more productive, influential and enjoyable. I highly recommend his training.”

Pamela Munger, Energy Analyst

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