Imagine sitting through another meeting that drags on forever, where ideas are as stale as the air, and the loudest voices dominate. We've all been there, and if you're like me, you're well and truly fed up. Well, that’s exactly where I found myself before stumbling upon a game-changing perspective.
When I first came across the blunt declaration from Jonathan Courtney of AJ&Smart – "Meetings Suck" – it was as if someone had given voice to my inner turmoil. Like many of you, I've endured my fair share of tedious meetings, where the minutes are kept but the hours are lost. It’s a setting where the echo of the most persistent overshadows the insights of the insightful. And I'll admit, sometimes I was that persistent voice, unwittingly contributing to the cacophony, overshadowing those quieter than me.
I had got to the stage that I couldn’t bear the thought of another aimless gathering, another session where the valuable thoughts and ideas would dissipate as soon as we left the room. It was time for a change, and so, inspired by those two words – "Meetings Suck" – Here's how I fixed them - by first diving into retraining.
Investing thousands of pounds and countless hours, I embarked on the Workshopper Master course, and it’s not hyperbolic to say it transformed my professional life. It taught me how to ditch traditional team meetings and bring in simple collaboration techniques that get things done, fast.
The transformation has been profound. Gone are the days of dreary, drawn-out discussions. Now, I harness these simple yet powerful collaboration techniques that cut through the noise and get to the heart of the matter. The result? Ideas flourish, every voice is heard, and we accomplish in minutes what used to take hours. It’s the kind of efficiency that lowers the blood pressure and raises the bar for productivity.
So here’s my take: traditional team meetings? They are not conducive for bringing teams together, they are not places that encourage the best ideas and they waste inordinate amounts of time. Instead it is time to try energetic, inclusive, and results-driven workshops. With the right approach, you can turn the tide on ineffective meetings and foster an environment where every team member can contribute meaningfully.
If you’re tired of meetings that go nowhere and crave a shift towards effectiveness and inclusivity, it’s time to explore a new path. Trust me, just because we have been using meetings as a vehicle of collaboration doesn't mean that we have to keep on doing so, after all a quote that's been attributed to Einstein is "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results".
