JWM - Volume 3, Issue 3 - (Page 77)

RETHINKING THE BORED ROOM Apply these tips and you might just look forward to your weekly team meeting. by Ken baron  illustrations by dan page W HoEvER sAId “nothing is certain except death and taxes” overlooked an inescapable certainty that currently plagues modern-day office life—the team meeting. Let’s face it: Do we really need to march like schoolchildren into a stuffy conference room every seven days to recount the history and science of our work week? management seems to back up our grumbling. according to a national survey conducted by the staffing service company officeteam, about 45 percent of executives say employees would be more productive if weekly meetings were eliminated. in fact, the managers surveyed added that 28 percent of meetings they themselves participated in seemed pointless. and yet, study after study shows that meetings are critical to success. after all, if early man didn’t huddle before a day of hunting and gathering, everyone might have decided to return to the cave with apples. and who can survive on apples alone? “the problem is that nothing gets done without meetings,” says john Nawn, founder of the chicagobased company the Perfect meeting. “they represent opportunities for growth and change—both individually, as well as organizationally. and yet, while meetings are a business necessity, they are universally loathed and considered by many to be one of the greatest barriers to productivity.” J WM MAGAZINE Given this distressing state of affairs—we hate meetings but we need them—we asked experts about ways to make the weekly team get-together effective, efficient and, yes, even enjoyable. their answers were surprising, inspiring and in most cases easy to implement. in short, what you see below is something worth calling a meeting about! THREE QUICK FIXEs Susan Sexton, an executive business coach for 30 years and meeting consultant for a number of top companies, offers these solutions for three common meeting problems: Late arrivals: “Fix this problem with time cards. if you arrive on time, you score points, if not, you lose points. this can be done on a team or individual basis, and at the end of month there’s a prize. People can become very competitive over a Starbucks card!” trouble Focusing: “if there’s a particular topic or problem that the team has been dealing with, i have them break into groups of three or four. i give them 15 minutes to come up with a solution. it’s amazing what gets done when time pressure is added to the mix. People can come up with great solutions.” Low Energy: “Quick teambuilding exercises at the beginning or end of a meeting really energize and engage people. one i do is called ‘the paper 77 j w m a r r i o t t. c o m http://www.JWMARRIOTT.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JWM - Volume 3, Issue 3

JWM - Summer 2013
Table of Contents
JW Experts
Contributors
Editor’s Letter
Distinctive Products, People, Ideas & Style
A Quiet Place
Powering Down
Sonoma
Industrial Arts
The Portal
Downtown Dreaming
Sky High
Greens Revolution
Rethinking the Bored Room
JW Experience
My Passion

JWM - Volume 3, Issue 3