{"id":4980,"date":"2024-06-28T14:19:45","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T12:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/?p=4980"},"modified":"2024-06-28T14:19:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T12:19:45","slug":"better-meetings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/2024\/06\/28\/better-meetings\/","title":{"rendered":"Better Meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Hello Friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you ever get the feeling you\u2019re your own worst enemy?! Lately, I\u2019ve found myself looking at my calendar and wondering when I might have time to actually *think*. Or breathe. There are so many meetings squeezed into the calendar, I can\u2019t see any white space at all.&nbsp;\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2640\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know I\u2019m not alone in this. Absolutely everyone I talk to is in the same boat: overscheduled and overwhelmed. \u201cWhen am I actually going to *work*?!\u201d is the question du jour.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what can we actually DO about it?! That\u2019s the $64 million question!&nbsp;\ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer is: as much as possible, have better meetings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the topic of this month\u2019s newsletter, and something we really need to figure out together. We can\u2019t change the calendar insanity alone \u2013 we need to become much more aware of how we\u2019re planning not only our own time, but everyone else\u2019s as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What do the experts say on the subject of meetings? Let\u2019s dive in and see!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#704c9f\" class=\"has-inline-color\">PARTICIPATION&#8230;<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMeetings should have as few people as possible, but all the right people.\u201d\u00a0<br>~ Charles W. Scharf<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now there\u2019s a concept! How many meetings have you been in, where you were just a bum on a chair?! Where you didn\u2019t need to participate in any way, and therefore didn\u2019t actually even listen fully? You know the ones \u2013 where you\u2019re writing emails, camera off, and sort of half-listening with one ear only.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You are definitely not alone! According to the Harvard Business Review,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.us17.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=1edbcf2879558e7cdb5ac6676&amp;id=6e6ac77cc4&amp;e=56e0a5cca5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">research<\/a>&nbsp;has shown that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>9 out of 10 people daydream in meetings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>50% find meetings to be unproductive<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>25% of meetings are spent discussing irrelevant issues<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>75% of leaders have not received formal training on how to conduct a meeting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Holy unproductive, Batman!! No wonder we\u2019re spending so much time getting so little done.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what can *I* do about it, I hear you ask. I found this article on \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.us17.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=1edbcf2879558e7cdb5ac6676&amp;id=2cdb931c2e&amp;e=56e0a5cca5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Improve a Meeting when You\u2019re Not In Charge<\/a>\u201d not only has practical advice, but excellent examples of scripts* to use, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>No agenda for the meeting you are attending<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The meeting veering off the agenda<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Meeting action items not getting done<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There are also examples of what to say depending on how comfortable \/ psychologically safe you feel in your team. Super helpful!<br><br><em>*I love a good script \u2013 we all have great intentions but sometimes in the moment, I have no idea what to say to best get my point across. These sorts of scripts are gold in these situations. That\u2019s one of the reasons I am such a huge fan of the\u00a0<a>Ask A Manager<\/a>\u00a0page \u2013 she gives helpful scripts for a multitude of situations.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#704c9f\" class=\"has-inline-color\">CANCEL MEETINGS&#8230;<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We all know we have too many meetings. It would seem logical that one of the easiest ways to change that would be to cancel a few of them, right?\u00a0\ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research actually backs that up! \u201cA&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.us17.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=1edbcf2879558e7cdb5ac6676&amp;id=9e79488887&amp;e=56e0a5cca5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study<\/a>&nbsp;of 76 companies&nbsp;that have deliberately reduced or eliminated meetings showed an increase in job satisfaction, communication, cooperation, and productivity, and a decrease in micromanaging and stress.\u201d We think we need meetings to share information, create a team bond, and to collaborate with one another. Yet that isn\u2019t actually the case.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers suggest a few different ways to build that collaboration and trust:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Replace your morning check-in meeting with a check-in message<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only hold meetings when absolutely necessary<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Let people opt out<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Scheduling meetings on auto-pilot and not putting in the work to properly set up the meeting is killing our productivity, so let\u2019s rethink this!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#704c9f\" class=\"has-inline-color\">PLAN MEETINGS&#8230;<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ll plan your tasks, you\u2019ll plan your time, but most of us never bother planning our meetings.\u201d<br>~ Megan Hyatt Miller<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ooof. How true is this?! We have so many meetings that we don\u2019t have time to<strong>\u00a0think<\/strong>, and that often includes not having time to think about what we want to get of our meetings!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s so easy for recurring meetings to become like habits. We don\u2019t even remember why we started that meeting, if it\u2019s necessary, if somebody else could lead it, if all the people at the meeting still need to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This episode of the Business Accelerator podcast (the source of the quotes above) on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.us17.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=1edbcf2879558e7cdb5ac6676&amp;id=767e001e4b&amp;e=56e0a5cca5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Reset your Expectations for Meetings<\/a>&nbsp;has some great tips for planning better meetings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Their 5 Steps to Better Meetings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1.<strong>Decide:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>is the meeting necessary?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>type of meeting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>format<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>is it worth your time? Do\u00a0<em>you<\/em>\u00a0need to be in the meeting?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>2.<strong>Schedule:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Right people, right time, right duration, right channel<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>3.<strong>Prepare<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What is the result or outcome that you want from this meeting?\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An efficient meeting has an agenda and a Facilitator<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>4.<strong>Meet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>5.<strong>Follow up<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The majority of those steps happen before the meeting has even taken place!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/businessaccelerator.com\/reset-your-expectations-for-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"917\" height=\"877\" src=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/BUSINESS-ACCELERATOR.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4985\" style=\"width:234px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/BUSINESS-ACCELERATOR.jpg 917w, https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/BUSINESS-ACCELERATOR-300x287.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/BUSINESS-ACCELERATOR-768x734.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/BUSINESS-ACCELERATOR-13x12.jpg 13w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 917px) 100vw, 917px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#704c9f\" class=\"has-inline-color\">WHAT I&#8217;M READING&#8230;<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reader, I went to the library!&nbsp;<br>In a rather embarrassing example of formulating an opinion based on one event and then never re-considering said opinion, I visited the local library back in 2006 (aka 18 years ago!!) when we first moved to Erlangen. There were hardly any English-language books there, and the majority were years, if not decades, old. So clearly the library has nothing to offer me, right?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wrong. As you might have guessed, I revisited not only the library but my opinion last week.&nbsp;\ud83d\ude09&nbsp;When a friend mentioned she gets lots of English books from our library, I thought I should give it a chance. And boy was I surprised! The library has 2 entire rooms dedicated to English-language books! I had my arms full with possible loans within minutes, and went home with 5 new books \u2013 not only new to me, but truly new on the market. Hoorah! Being able to change one\u2019s mind for the win.&nbsp;\ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My first library read was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.us17.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=1edbcf2879558e7cdb5ac6676&amp;id=b97582a284&amp;e=56e0a5cca5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Switch<\/a>&nbsp;by Beth O\u2019Leary. I\u2019d read a few of O\u2019Leary\u2019s books before, and while you always know from the start where the characters are going to end up, it is such an enjoyable journey getting there that it is absolutely worth it!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Switch is the story of Leena, 28 years old and just put on mandatory leave for the next 8 weeks. While visiting her grandmother, Eileen, in Yorkshire, Leena comes up with the idea to have the two women switch lives for the 8 weeks. Leena wants to get out of London for a bit and clear the air; Eileen never got the chance to leave Yorkshire after falling pregnant and then quickly getting married decades ago.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was such a funny, witty, charming story. The characters are so well-written and really become three-dimensional. You really care about and empathize with them. This was a page-turner for me and I really wanted to see how both Leena and Eileen fared, even though I knew they\u2019d be all right in the end.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such a sweet and endearing story. Loved it!<br><br>[<em>A personal appeal from me: despite the links, please do support your local book store or library if you can!<\/em>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.de\/-\/en\/Beth-OLeary\/dp\/1787475026\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=35B7TRS56TZI9&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WA7K6Z0McEZ3dBQfoBipSTsDRA5t2w51GoiS_7zC75p6oMpj-SWtES2riLvLoIZSFhgP4zE_-vT2Z1eqS5UBNg4UOo93E_P_BfpddvJVySB7_9cI7hBLJ2WmlfESxfHp6oWm_1urTuib90Kb8_TJpXsD-xVpX_lCPvXKVYnuA9IcgOgJG3QbbrK4kqJptSn5Wa7T4IcTE-AVYrKT6bGJ-QDaIMfEAvr2DfuIkSSHM4Y.bmQuAKC2yE4Xg-39EaVBtusHvydBi9vSlh_ZA1uEz-I&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=the+switch+beth+o%27leary&amp;qid=1718623018&amp;sprefix=the+switch+beth+%2Caps%2C107&amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"738\" height=\"1016\" src=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/The-Switch-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4984\" style=\"width:232px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/The-Switch-1.jpg 738w, https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/The-Switch-1-218x300.jpg 218w, https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/The-Switch-1-9x12.jpg 9w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 738px) 100vw, 738px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is your experience with meeting overload? Have you had success reducing or streamlining your meetings and\/or calendar? I\u2019d love to hear what helped you if so! It would be great to share helpful resources on how to be a better meeting scheduler \/ coordinator \/ participant \/ facilitator!\u00a0<br><br>I\u2019m in Ireland this week, coaching the final in-person module of a 9-month leadership acceleration programme. Very much looking forward to it!\u00a0<br>\u00a0<br>Hope you also have some exciting professional moments to look forward to!\u00a0<br>\u00a0<br>Wishing you a wonderful July!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hugs,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"388\" height=\"314\" src=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Julia.Signature.png\" alt=\"signature\" class=\"wp-image-1670\" style=\"width:194px;height:157px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Julia.Signature.png 388w, https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Julia.Signature-300x243.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 388px) 100vw, 388px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"311\" src=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Having-Better-Meetings-1024x311.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4981\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Having-Better-Meetings-1024x311.png 1024w, https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Having-Better-Meetings-300x91.png 300w, https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Having-Better-Meetings-768x233.png 768w, https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Having-Better-Meetings-18x5.png 18w, https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Having-Better-Meetings.png 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>P.S. \u00a0This newsletter was entirely researched, planned, and written by me. No ghost writers and no A.I. As such, all opinions and errors are mine and mine alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hello Friends! Do you ever get the feeling you\u2019re your own worst enemy?! Lately, I\u2019ve found myself looking at my calendar and wondering when I might have time to actually *think*. Or breathe. There are so many meetings squeezed into the calendar, I can\u2019t see any white space at all.&nbsp;\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2640\ufe0f I know I\u2019m not alone [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[255,82,63,70,244,68,67],"class_list":["post-4980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-better-meetings","tag-coaching","tag-executive-coach","tag-leadership","tag-meetings","tag-you4-0","tag-you4point0"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4980"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4988,"href":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4980\/revisions\/4988"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}