7Master Workplace Meetings

BY IDENTIFYING (AND DEALING WITH) THESE

CLASSIC MEETING PERSONAS

WASTING TIME9

These days,“meeting” is a dreadedword around the office.

9 out of 10 workers prefer to interact inany other way than meetings, and 47% ofemployees say meetings are the#1 time-waster at the office.

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Identifying and understanding meetingpersonality types can help you getworkplace meetings back on track andimprove overall productivity.It’s important to understand the motivationbehind the various meeting personas to beable to deal with them more effectively.

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THE HIJACKERBULLIES AND INTIMIDATES TO GET HIS WAY

PERSONALITY TRAITS:As the “bully” of the meeting, thehijacker always has be to right, andcan be hostile or intimidating to gethis way. He is out to further his ownpersonal agenda, regardless of theconsequences for the overall meeting.

STRATEGY:Challenge a hijacker directly, anddon’t let him bully others in themeeting. Ask what relevance aremark or rant has in the context ofthe formal agenda and address thehijacker by name to maintain control.

WANTS TO APPEAR TO KNOWEVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING

THE PRINCESS

PERSONALITY TRAITS:The Princess is the know-it-all of thebunch; she appears to know more thananyone else about any given subject. As aninstant expert, Princesses manipulate theconversation to gain control of the meeting.

STRATEGY:Don’t challenge what Princesses are saying-- this can make it worse as they seek tojustify what they’ve already said. Encourageher to come out of her tower by inviting herto see alternative views, and nudge her tolisten to others’ perspectives too. A non-threatening response can help tame her“I’m smarter than you” attitude.

PERSONALITY TRAITS:The “talker” uses meaninglessbuzzwords and “businessspeak” to talk incessantly,whether or not she has the floor.Jargonmeisters like to hear the

THE JARGONMEISTERUSES COLORFUL BUZZWORDS

TO TALK INCESSANTLY

At the end of the day, weneed to brainstorm somebest practices to optimize thepipeline and establish thoughtleadership at the bottom of thefunnel. Does that make sense?

sound of their own voice and willuse jargon to navigate questionswhen they don’t know an answer.

STRATEGY:Reminding a “talker” that everyone needs to stick tothe agenda can help the meeting get back on track.Point out that others have ideas to contribute andshould have equal time to speak.

UNDERCUTS AND DISTRACTS OTHERSWITH SARCASM AND JOKES

THE JOKER

PERSONALITY TRAITS:While humor can keep meetings frombecoming stuffy, the joker constantlydistracts others by making jokes,openly or under his breath. He usessarcasm to undercut the authority ofthe presenter, and make meetingsunproductive.

STRATEGY:Deal with a joker privately, as theyoften use humor to try to gain favorwith peers. If a joker is chastisedopenly in a meeting, this may causeserious embarrassment and moredeeply-seated frustration.

THE DEFLECTORKEEPS OUT OF CONVERSATION BY

DEFLECTING QUESTIONS TO OTHERS

PERSONALITY TRAITS:As the “avoider,” the deflector keepsout of the conversation by deflectingall questions to other workers. Hedoesn’t contribute to the meeting andsends conversation in circles.

STRATEGY:Be direct. Ask the deflector thequestion in a different way if he triesto ask someone else to respondinstead. Encourage the avoiderso that he feels more comfortablecontributing to the conversation.

That’s a great question, but Ithink Sally is more involvedin the project and couldprovide a better answer.

THE MULTITASKER FOCUSES ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN

WHAT IS BEING DISCUSSED IN THE MEETING

PERSONALITY TRAITS:The multitasker is constantly texting,typing and focused anything otherthan what is being discussed inthe meeting. They divide attentionbetween the meeting and otherdistractions, and frequently have toask others to repeat themselves whenasked a question directly.

STRATEGY:It is important to keep the multitaskerengaged so she listens throughout the meeting andcontributes. Call on multitaskers often and keep themon their toes to help decrease the amount of time theyspend focused on distractions.

Sorry I missedthat. Could yourepeat that?

PERSONALITY TRAITS:The timekeeper sits throughthe meeting without an audiblecontribution, even though heshould have something to say.The “non-player” is constantlywatching the clock and avoidsparticipating so he can get out ofthe room as fast as possible.

STRATEGY:Draw non-players out with direct,open-ended questions that theyare required to answer without asimple “yes” or “no.” Even if thereis silence, it is important to waitit out and force the timekeeper tocontribute to the meeting.

I just want to get backto my desk and look at

Facebook pictures of mysister’s roommate’s fiancé’snew cat. Can’t we just wrap

this up already?!

OUT OF THE ROOM AS FAST AS POSSIBLE

THE TIMEKEEPER DOESN’T CONTRIBUTE SO HE CAN GET

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To Master Workplace Meetings3TIPS

1Have aClearAgenda

List specific goalsfor the meeting andstick to the plan.Guiding participantsback to the agendacan help tameout-of-controlpersonas when themeeting becomesunproductive.

2Use a WebCollaborationService

Web conferencing solutions likeMOMENTUM MEETING allow everyoneparticipating to see the same thing at thesame time. The meeting can be recorded,so participants that miss can see the samepresentation as their teammates later.

3KeepitFlexible

Meetings don’t have to take place inthe boardroom. Let participants engagein a way that works for them -- fromsmartphones to tablets and everything inbetween. Remote access allows everyoneto join regardless of location.