Use Subtle Cues to Encourage Better Meetings

In any collaborative work environment, the meeting is the main component of office life. However, it can also be the source of company-wide complaints. So how can can you help ensure that meetings are more productive and less of a waste of time?

This HBR article by Jordan Cohen, suggests that you should start by collecting data. Have your colleagues anonymously rate the efficacy of each meeting on a scale from 1-5 after it’s over.

Use the data to diagnose the problem: was there an agenda? was the objective clear? was there adequate preparation? did it start on time? was it too long? were the right attendees present?

Next, design an intervention. Rather than telling employees what to do, try a more subtle approach – a slight behavioral cue that needs no explanation.

For example, at the Weight Watchers Headquarters in NYC, Cohen chose to install a preformatted whiteboard in each conference room with the word “Agenda” at the top. Underneath were three columns: “Agenda Topic”, “Desired Outcome” and “Time.” The Agenda Whiteboard not only suggested that people in the conference room should have an agenda, but that there should be a clearly desired outcome and a certain amount of meeting time allocated to discussion.

As a result of this test, meeting dissatisfaction dropped from 44% to 16%.

We at SpeechSkills urge you to consider: what subtle behavioral cue can you use to increase the efficacy of meetings at your office?