How to rock your next meeting

You’re having a meeting in your office. During this, people come in without warning and hand you a piece of paper. You glance at the paper and then look back at the person you’re meeting with. By the end of your meeting you’re surrounded by 11 bits of paper. Sound weird? Bet it happens to you more than you realise.

✅ What if it was an online meeting and those bits of paper were notifications on your screen? 

✅ How do you feel that you’ve allowed 11 interruptions?

✅ What’s the impact of those interruptions on the person that you’re meeting with?

Shaping our environment can have a big impact.

Closing down all other tabs, screens and notifications means you can’t have those interruptions. 

It means it’s just you and the person that you’re talking to. 

This means you give the gift of time, focus and attention.

And when someone gives you their time, focus and attention - how does that make you feel?

If you’re looking to deepen your connections to people and to get a stellar reputation for being a great communicator, think about what you close before you start a meeting.

And for face to face meetings, consider having those in a space that’s away from your devices. 

Two chairs in a corner by a window or a book case can be a much better place to talk than on opposing sides of a desk.

For more on how to set up systems to help with your communication, check out the book “Switch” by Chip and Dan Heath.