Decker Blog » better meetings

Are you in the weeds?

Ben Decker — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:30:47 +0000

We’ve all been there – caught up in the shrinking world of tunnel vision. But when communicating with others, being in the weeds can lose your audience.

Last week I coached two executives, neither of whom had used video feedback before. In both of these sessions, we addressed the need to “get out of the weeds.” Most often, when we’re in the weeds, we don’t realize it. Having an outside perspective (such as coaching and video feedback) is important for this very reason. When we are passionate and invested in a message, it’s our natural tendency to share as much as we can in as much detail as we can. The material is so important, so brilliant and so valuable that we inadvertently create information overload in our fervor.

When you present your communications experience, are you in the weeds? Consider these indicators:

The verbal content of your message is cluttered with verbosity, technical jargon, industry lingo, and too much detail.
The visuals presented are overkill (too many slides, too much text, little or no graphics).
Your presentation lacks stories, anecdotes, and humor.
Your intensity for the material blinds you from the need to connect with and engage your audience.

The answer? Focus on two things and two things only.

Your point of view: What is the core message you want to convey?
Your audience: What’s in it for them? What are they looking for in your message? How can you focus on the aspects of your message that they’ll care about?

Simplify your material. Divorce the details that excite you but alienate your listeners. Become a master of exclusion and a facilitator of a memorable message. Take “you” out of the message. Focus on your listeners, learn them and create an experience that leaves an impact on them.

Want to connect your message with your audience? Get out your weed whacker!

Photo credit: gracieshoots

10 Steps to Make Your Meetings Better

Bert Decker — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:37:47 +0000

Meetings – We all have 'em, can't live with 'em, and can't live without 'em.

BNET did a video interview with me on some key points to communicate more effectively through meetings.

Here are some additional tips we give to our clients at Decker Communications, Inc., where we train people to communicate effectively – I call them the 10 Steps to Better Meetings:

1. Cut the meetings you have in half. Cut the time of the meetings that remain in half.

This assumes you are the leader of the meetings. Unproductive talk and time will fill the space of long meetings – The Peter Principle in action.

2. Have an agenda.

Bullets
only, direction driven, not "update" driven. It also helps to
distribute in advance by email if you have time and access.

3. Be on time.

Start
on time. Model your time at the beginning so people know you respect
their time. Don't wait for stragglers, and don't catch up items for
late comers (unless it happens to be the boss.)

4. Be controversial.

Not outlandish, but stimulate robust dialogue.
The reason most meetings are boring is because most meetings are
boring. As the meeting leader, it's up to you to make it interesting.

5. Have a focus, a Point Of View.

Meetings should not be primarily for updates and information exchange, but for action, discussion and direction.

6. Use intentional eye communication.

As
a leader, look at everyone or they won't feel included. And when you
want someone to speak up more, glance at them. Skillful eye
communication can direct and influence without words.

7. Be energetic – voice, gestures.

The
Shadow of the Leader. Your enthusiasm will drive others. And if you're
not the leader, the more energy and interest you show the more likely
you will become one.

8. Avoid Blackberry Abuse.

(See Bonus #1 below.) If you are not encouraging Twitter in your meeting, you must be
interesting. If the meeting and you are interesting, people won't go to
Twitter on their own, or their IM's and emails on their iPhones and Blackberrys. Set your ground rules for what you want to accomplish, and then accomplish it by relevance, vitality, energy and interest.

9. Drive to action steps.

Meetings should create actions, not informational data dumps. Be intentional.

10. End with a bang, not a whimper.

Most meetings peter out. Not only end with an action step(s) , close it off with an upbeat quote, story or video clip. Be creative – and your meetings will be too.

Bonus #1:
Decide whether or not you want to encourage people to Twitter during the meeting or not. (See Speakers – Be Aware Twitter Is Coming) It can be an interesting and engaging tool, or it can be a total disruption. Be intentional. Be smart.

Bonus #2: Get a Flip Video and record your meetings on video or DVD – put one up in the back of the
room to see how you and others interact and behave. Observed behavior
changes.

Bonus #2: Buy and read "Death By Meeting" by Patrick Lencioni,
a great speaker and consultant. There is a plethora of good advice and
concepts in his book that will change the way you run your meetings.

10 Steps to Better Meetings

Bert Decker — Tue, 22 May 2007 20:43:59 +0000

Meetings – can’t live with ‘em, and can’t live without ‘em. BNET just did a video interview with me on some key points to communicate more effectively through meetings.

Here are some additional tips we give to our clients at Decker – I call them the 10 Steps to Better Meetings:

1. Cut the meetings you have in half. Cut the time of the meetings that remain in half.

This assumes you are the leader of the meetings. Unproductive talk and time will fill the space of long meetings – The Peter Principle in action.

2. Have an agenda.

Bullets only, direction driven, not "update" driven. It also helps to distribute in advance by email if you have time and access.

3. Be on time.

Start on time. Model your time at the beginning so people know you respect their time. Don’t wait for stragglers, and don’t catch up items for late comers (unless it happens to be the boss.)

4. Be controversial.

Not outlandish, but stimulate robust dialogue. The reason most meetings are boring is because most meetings are boring. As the meeting leader, it’s up to you to make it interesting.

5. Have a focus, a Point Of View.

Meetings should not be primarily for updates and information exchange, but for action, discussion and direction.

6. Use intentional eye communication.

As a leader, look at everyone or they won’t feel included. And when you want someone to speak up more, glance at them. Skillful eye communication can direct and influence without words.

7. Be energetic – voice, gestures.

The Shadow of the Leader. Your enthusiasm will drive others. And if you’re not the leader, the more energy and interest you show the more likely you will become one.

8. Avoid Blackberry Abuse.

Be interesting. If the meeting and you are interesting, people won’t go to their IM’s and emails on their PDA’s. You can have ground rules, but they should be secondary to relevance, vitality, energy and interest.

9. Drive to action steps.

Meetings should create actions, not informational data dumps. Be intentional.

10. End with a bang, not a whimper.

Most meetings peter out. Not only end with an action step(s) , close it off with an upbeat quote, story or video clip. Be creative – and your meetings will be too.

Bonus #1: Record your meetings on video or DVD – put one up in the back of the room to see how you and others interact and behave. Observed behavior changes.

Bonus #2: Buy and read "Death By Meeting" by Patrick Lencioni, a great speaker and consultant. There is a plethora of good advice and concepts in his book that will change the way you run your meetings.