Meeting Overload – Multi-Taskers Beware!
Most people know that conferencing does wonders in terms of improving time management and efficiency. Instead of one or more days of travel for a single meeting, have many in just a few hours. I’ve seen coworkers on two conference calls at once! Now that’s making the most of your time… or is it?
As you conference more and more, you would think you would just be getting more and more efficient. The trap - multi-tasking! It starts innocently enough. You call in to an audio conference call, and while you are attentively listening to the discussion or presentation, someone instant messages you. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to respond? After all, no one can see you and your phone is muted… It’s a slippery slope from there. Before you know it, conference calls are more like background noise while you are trying to get your work done (“can’t those people be quiet?… I can’t concentrate on my email”). Everyone multi-tasks sometimes, and sometimes it is very necessary. In today’s economy, there’s always more to do and fewer people to do it.
So, the question is, if you are the meeting organizer, how do you ensure that your meeting is the one that people “really” pay attention to?A few suggestions:
1. If your conference is an interactive session, solicit feedback from your conference participants at random points during the call. (“What do you think, Sue?”) No one wants to be the person who has to say “could you repeat the question?” because they clearly haven’t been listening. Harsh? Maybe, but you’ll only have to do it a few times…
2. If you don’t like calling people out, set and distribute an agenda before your meeting. If possible, assign portions of your agenda to individuals on your conference or indicate where you will be looking for specific contributions from individuals.
3. A web conference can keep your listeners more engaged - a few graphs, maybe share your desktop. Just make sure you aren’t reading your slides verbatim into the conference call! Nothing loses an audience faster.
4. People are less likely to multi-task when people can see them, so set up a video conference.
And if you are a multi-tasker trying to reform? A few tips: Email and instant message are huge temptations. If you are on an audio conference, try turning your chair to face away from your computer –OR- If more than one person from your office is on the conference, suggest using a speakerphone together (added benefit, if you or someone from your company is hosting the conference call, you’ll be saving your company money!) – OR - Volunteer to be the minute taker for the meeting -OR- Finally, try blocking time out on your calendar each week to “work” uninterruptedly.
Conference calls are all about giving us back time and allowing people to communicate more easily. And let’s not forget the environmental impact we have by reducing travel. Yes, conferencing is good. The goal is to keep the balance between efficiency and overload!