A laptoppy meeting

I hate meetings. They suck productivity, cause interruptions that further suck your productivity, and generally do not accomplish much.  However, I do recognize the necessary evil of getting everyone in the same place at the same time to ensure we all know what needs to be done.  All I ask is that they be as short as possible. Here are three meeting “anti-patterns” to avoid:

A scenario that I used to encounter often was the “I Didn’t Take Setup Time Into Consideration” pattern. This usually occurs in smaller organizations with limited conference rooms that end up being scheduled wall-to-wall all day long. The presenter, unable to gain access to the conference room before the meeting started (or worse, was a part of the previous meeting), proceeded to project a defect tracking system onto the wall to review open defects.  As the attendees gathered, we just sat there, waiting for the laptop to boot, then for the projector to get set up properly, and then the presenter finding the correct report to run. During the five to ten minutes it took to do that, the attendees weren’t doing anything other that wasting time and losing (the company’s) money. Always ensure there is sufficient lead time to set up for your meetings.  In the event that your conference rooms are always booked, schedule the meeting to start at ten minutes after the hour. Don’t just waste people’s time.

A related pattern is the “I Want To Use Software I’ve Never Used Before To Present At The Meeting.” It is very similar to the pattern described above, except that it continues the full length of the meeting.  Don’t use meeting time to figure out how software works. Consider it a part of your preparation for the meeting.  Do a few trial runs even before scheduling the meeting.

And then there’s the “Everybody Now Knows How Much Of A Raise Joe Got Because I Left My Email App Open” pattern. When you attend a meeting, and must bring the laptop to project information to everyone, remember to turn off your email client, including any notification tools that you may have.  Failing to do so could result in sensitive information being displayed to the entire meeting.  This becomes even more serious if you’re a manager or an executive level employee. I’ve actually witnessed emails regarding benefit packages and vacation requests projected on the wall during a meeting.

All three of these patterns have a common thread: the laptop. When meeting, ask if you really need the laptop. I’m a fan of the topless meeting, and feel as if I’ve been liberated during meetings.  I can now pay attention to the person talking instead of futzing with the laptop, plus I no longer have to worry about others asking me to look things up.  Ask yourself what projecting from a laptop buys you that a well written agenda on a whiteboard or easel pad wouldn’t.  Most of the time, but certainly not all the time, you’ll find the answer is “nothing.”