Meetings

[Brodirt]

Ok, I just spent 4 hours in my useless bi-weekly Tuesday meeting. I being an anal retentive, efficiency expert show up first and report first and report quickly and efficiently and spend the next 3:45 spinning in circles in my own brain.

I usually manage to not kill myself every 2 weeks and today realized that without my mobile web device I actually would.

For those of you who are forced to endure similar challenges to all rules of economics, efficiency and sanity...how do you manage to get through without stripping to your skivvies and clucking like a chicken?

 

[luvmysuper]

I make rude doodles on a notepad like I'm taking notes, and try to get the guy next to me to laugh out loud when I show them to him.

 

[RazorDingo]

I usually make a rule that people not to use their mobile web devices during our meetings.

The meetings get done much quicker when everyone is paying attention.

 

[thunderball]

I will respond to this thread later...got a meeting in 5 minutes.

 

[Mr. Igg]

Meetings: the practical alternative to work.

I hate those mind-numbers. At least you can bring electronics (I understand the no-electronics rule, but in your case, they appear to be the solution, not the problem!).

The obvious question: How much of the 4 hours is objectively valuable?

 

[Walter Sobchak]

Most of my meetings are done on Gotomeeting now. I'M SO HAPPY ABOUT THAT!!!!

 

[BrightFutur]

My boss is (well, now was) enough of a moron that I could overcome my feelings of intense hate and loathing with constant laughter (in my head. And with my co-workers later).

He was like Michael Scott from the Office - painfully ignorant to anything. During one meeting he said "We are going to have an awesome team!" Walked right up to the only black guy on my team and said "Your my brotha from the jungle"

I thought I was going to die trying to keep my shock, amazement, and laughter in.

Whole room went silent.

 

[Hoos]

how do you manage to get through without stripping to your skivvies and clucking like a chicken?

Actually, I've found this to be an excellent way to shorten a meeting. Something wrong with it?

 

[mmack66]

"I could tolerate any insurance seminar. For days I could sit there and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face. They'd say, "How can you stand it?" I'd say, "'Cause I've been with Del Griffith. I can take ANYTHING." You know what they'd say? They'd say, "I know what you mean. The shower curtain ring guy. Woah."

 

[philamac]

Put an item on the agenda politley asking if the meeting is really a productive use of time and suggest improvements. If people can give a valid argument that it is OK as it is then you are stuck, but if they cant then get it changed.

Any good business or organisation should be continually reviewing the way it does things and the way it uses resources. In your case it seems that for a couple of hours a week your organisation is not using resources (the room, people and time) very well. A good management team will take on valid criticism/suggestion without going into a sulk.

Or just get naked..............

 

[mdunn]

...you can surf B&B on IPhones....

 

[Henrique]

He was like Michael Scott from the Office - painfully ignorant to anything. During one meeting he said "We are going to have an awesome team!" Walked right up to the only black guy on my team and said "Your my brotha from the jungle"

I use those kind of meetings to actually work!

Planning the week ahead, thinking about new ways to solve problems.

Some of my best out-of-the-box-thinking was done when I was so bored that reflecting about (my) work was a great escapism.

 

[Luc]

One thing that I did in one of those is Bingo meeting. You get a grid with random words that are work related and when you get a line, you just scream BINGO!

I did the meow thing (Supertroopers) in a meeting with another guy too... Everyone else thought it was odd until we explained it after the meeting!

Edit: I should add... I see useless meetings as holiday now... I do my thing in the corner, think about what I should do on the weekend, what's for lunch... etc. That's productive!

 

[Gruder]

I've transitioned myself from "victim" to "student" of meetings, having now written a doctoral dissertation about conducting them well, with an eye toward inclusion. The simple mental transition from "this sucks" to "why does this suck" has preserved a little bit of my sanity.

Barring that, mentally planning your next vacation works.

 

[luvmysuper]

If you have a meeting with 20 people, and each person briefs on his department status for 10 minutes, you have wasted over 3 hours and each person there has only heard 10 minutes that interest them.

Meetings should be limited to a maximum of 4 people, and confined to a maximum of 1 hour. With the clock ticking, each person only says what is necessary to get what needs to be done, done.

The pointy haired people will disagree.

 

[professorchaos]

Meetings are excruciating...endless blather about irrelevant, insignificant minutia. I stop paying attention within 15 minutes and go to that special place, way back in my brain. Being there looks something like this:

 

[Sullybob]

I have been in meetings where we planned what we are going to accomplish in the next meeting. Stripping naked and clucking like a chicken sounds like a good alternative.

I plan dinners, and weekend activities.