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Meeting
Rewinders
by Dr. Lynne
Curry
Question:
Our company relies on team meetings to conduct business. We have
an honor system related to meeting attendance and on-time arrival.
We also supply really good coffee, bagels and muffins during the
meetings that everyone appreciates.
Two of our
workers have a bad habit of coming to meetings fifteen to thirty
minutes late. These employees make a lot of noise getting their
refreshments, which interferes with the meeting. One also has a
bad habit of asking about agenda items already covered and then
raising objections to team decisions he doesn’t like. If we don’t
go back and re-open discussion he makes the rest of us feel like
we’re heavy-handed. How can we handle this in a light-hearted
way?
Answer:
First, buy fewer bagels and muffins and remove the extras ten
minutes after the start of your meeting. Second, place the coffee
cart outside the meeting room. Third, either plan to cover the
most controversial items fifteen minutes after the start of your
meeting or email your late arrivers the agenda, providing them
clear notice of the need to arrive on-time if they want their
views considered. Fourth, unless genuine work duties prevent these
employees from arriving on time, stop giving them the power to
make the rest of you feel like "heavies". If a late
arriver wants the rest of you to press the meeting rewind button,
ask your meeting chair to pose it as a question to the full group.
"How many think we should revisit this topic so Sam can add
his views? How many think we should instead move on?" Then,
if the team votes to move on, say "Sorry, Sam" and go
forward, leaving Sam to play catch up.
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