Boredom in the Boardroom
Boredom in the Boardroom
I want to hang my hat on a big issue today.
I'm conscious this is going to be controversial, but here we go anyways...
I reckon that most meetings and presentations are a total waste of time.
I know, I know, I've gone and said it. This big dirty secret that nobody wants to talk about.
But it's a truth. Most are tedious, time-consuming and unproductive.
I would wager that 99% of people who read this have been in at least one meeting in the past month where they would have preferred to climb quietly out the window than listen any further.
But there's a reason for they are so bad.
Presenters are very often concerned about what's in it for THEM.
For all the talk about "alignment", "gathering input", and "harmonisation", there's an overwhelming convention to over-explain things and focus on what THEY, as a speaker, want to say.
Yet it doesn't have to be this way!
Imagine you're presenting the findings of a project you've worked on.
You could stand up and go into intimate details about your methodology, the people you consulted and some of the things you've learned.
But this approach is focused on you and what you've achieved. It's calling out, "Hey, look how smart I am! Look at how well I've executed this project!"
A far more effective way to present is by creating an alternative future for your audience.
Rather than presenting things that people can read later (like methodology or results), tell a story about what the organisation will look like if they adopt x, y, z recommendations.
You can even pick out people in the meeting and create a specific vision for THEIR future:
"Imagine standing on stage receiving an annual industry award because you implemented (INSERT Insightful Recommendation From Your Project Here). And hey! It's straightforward to do!"
When we create a vision for the future that attendees can see in their minds, we invoke a psychological phenomenon called "Fear of Loss": once they've SEEN what the future can be, they are reluctant to give up that alternative future.
But there's an unexpected consequence when we put our audience first and help them see what the future could be like:
We're more persuasive.
And who would possibly want that? 🤔
#meetings #productivity #presentationskills #storytelling
I'm conscious this is going to be controversial, but here we go anyways...
I reckon that most meetings and presentations are a total waste of time.
I know, I know, I've gone and said it. This big dirty secret that nobody wants to talk about.
But it's a truth. Most are tedious, time-consuming and unproductive.
I would wager that 99% of people who read this have been in at least one meeting in the past month where they would have preferred to climb quietly out the window than listen any further.
But there's a reason for they are so bad.
Presenters are very often concerned about what's in it for THEM.
For all the talk about "alignment", "gathering input", and "harmonisation", there's an overwhelming convention to over-explain things and focus on what THEY, as a speaker, want to say.
Yet it doesn't have to be this way!
Imagine you're presenting the findings of a project you've worked on.
You could stand up and go into intimate details about your methodology, the people you consulted and some of the things you've learned.
But this approach is focused on you and what you've achieved. It's calling out, "Hey, look how smart I am! Look at how well I've executed this project!"
A far more effective way to present is by creating an alternative future for your audience.
Rather than presenting things that people can read later (like methodology or results), tell a story about what the organisation will look like if they adopt x, y, z recommendations.
You can even pick out people in the meeting and create a specific vision for THEIR future:
"Imagine standing on stage receiving an annual industry award because you implemented (INSERT Insightful Recommendation From Your Project Here). And hey! It's straightforward to do!"
When we create a vision for the future that attendees can see in their minds, we invoke a psychological phenomenon called "Fear of Loss": once they've SEEN what the future can be, they are reluctant to give up that alternative future.
But there's an unexpected consequence when we put our audience first and help them see what the future could be like:
We're more persuasive.
And who would possibly want that? 🤔
#meetings #productivity #presentationskills #storytelling
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