Chaos \u2028Without Structure<\/strong><\/h3>\nTo contend with difficulties, take a closer look at how a normal business meeting processes information. Like all other forms of energy, unless you harness and manage meetings within a structured environment, chaos will result. The structure takes the creative energy generated in a group and converts it into something productive. The creative energy available to any group comes as ideas and information. When information and ideas are processed in business meetings, it is usually done without adequate structure.<\/span><\/p>\nInformation Problems<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"What](\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/takingenergyfrommeetings.png?w=300\" "\\"TakingEnergyFromMeetings\\"")
Meeting Challenges<\/span><\/p><\/div>\nThe following information processing problems occur because of unstructured meetings:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Disruptive<\/em> interruptus<\/em>\u2014limits the continuity of the group\u2019s ideas.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Inconclusive progressions\u2014moving on to another topic and not adequately concluding or summarizing the previous topic.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Information queuing\u2014mentally storing comments while waiting for an opportunity to speak. When the time comes, the timing is inappropriate and the discussion gets derailed.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Mixing abstractions\u2014two people talking at different perspectives and levels of detail, different wavelengths, or different levels of resolution.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Solution jumping\u2014prematurely discussing solutions before the problem has been adequately defined.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Topic jumping\u2014inappropriately changing the topic. (In the average unstructured meeting, groups change topics every minute and a half.)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Complicating Factors<\/strong><\/h3>\nComplicating even further are the tactics used by meeting leaders to deal with information-processing problems. Three common and unsuccessful approaches:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Heavy-handed control\u2014overreaction that results in the inhibition of creativity and analysis.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Symposium style\u2014speaking one at a time in sequence. Eliminates the advantage of spontaneous interaction.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Withdrawal\u2014results in no direction at all.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Decision Problems<\/strong><\/h3>\nDecisions are made generally by:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Default (that\u2019s the way they wanted it anyway)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Dominance (the squeaky wheel syndrome)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Groupthink (no one disagrees or questions the decision because all assume someone\u2014usually a strong leader\u2014has the right answer. This is one of the explanations for the \u201cBay of Pigs\u201d incident\u2014no one argued with the decision).<\/span><\/li>\n
- Sheer exhaustion (we give up\u2014do what you want)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Decision Styles<\/strong><\/h3>\nIn response to the problems of decision-making, some leaders have adopted tactics such as:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Authoritarian (good control and quick, but is often wrong and creates low morale)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Consensus (encourages participation\/ unanimity, but is slow without someone to facilitate it through discipline and structure)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Majority rules (very democratic and participative, but allows tyranny of the majority and is slow)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Minority rules (permits persuasion, but creates political resentment)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Underdevelopment<\/strong><\/h3>\nRemember, while the number of meetings is growing, the mismanagement of meetings is costing a substantial amount of money each year. Wasted time equals wasted resources. Meeting leadership is an underdeveloped management skill, but it can be learned.<\/span><\/p>\nMeeting Types<\/strong><\/h3>\nThere are as many types of meetings as there are meeting leaders. Most meetings, however, fall into three general categories:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Information sharing meetings<\/span><\/li>\n
- Task-related meetings\u2014directed or instructional<\/span><\/li>\n
- Task-related meetings\u2014facilitated or developed<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Loss of Creative \u2028Energy<\/strong><\/h3>\nSession leaders typically use more than 60 percent of the communication time available in a meeting, leaving at most 40 percent of the talk time for participants, or 24 minutes in a one-hour meeting. Unequal distribution means much of the creative energy located within the group is not being tapped, decreasing the productivity of the meeting. Hence, it’s no wonder meetings fail because of low energy.<\/span><\/p>\n______<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\nDon\u2019t ruin your career by hosting bad meetings<\/a>. Sign up for a workshop<\/a> or send this to someone who should. MGRUSH<\/span><\/a><\/em> workshops focus on meeting design and practice. Each person practices tools, methods, and activities every day during the week. Therefore, while some call this immersion, we call it the road to building high-value facilitation skills.<\/span><\/p>\nRelated articles<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Information Problems<\/strong><\/h3>\nMeeting Challenges<\/span><\/p><\/div>\nThe following information processing problems occur because of unstructured meetings:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Disruptive<\/em> interruptus<\/em>\u2014limits the continuity of the group\u2019s ideas.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Inconclusive progressions\u2014moving on to another topic and not adequately concluding or summarizing the previous topic.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Information queuing\u2014mentally storing comments while waiting for an opportunity to speak. When the time comes, the timing is inappropriate and the discussion gets derailed.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Mixing abstractions\u2014two people talking at different perspectives and levels of detail, different wavelengths, or different levels of resolution.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Solution jumping\u2014prematurely discussing solutions before the problem has been adequately defined.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Topic jumping\u2014inappropriately changing the topic. (In the average unstructured meeting, groups change topics every minute and a half.)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Complicating Factors<\/strong><\/h3>\nComplicating even further are the tactics used by meeting leaders to deal with information-processing problems. Three common and unsuccessful approaches:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Heavy-handed control\u2014overreaction that results in the inhibition of creativity and analysis.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Symposium style\u2014speaking one at a time in sequence. Eliminates the advantage of spontaneous interaction.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Withdrawal\u2014results in no direction at all.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Decision Problems<\/strong><\/h3>\nDecisions are made generally by:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Default (that\u2019s the way they wanted it anyway)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Dominance (the squeaky wheel syndrome)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Groupthink (no one disagrees or questions the decision because all assume someone\u2014usually a strong leader\u2014has the right answer. This is one of the explanations for the \u201cBay of Pigs\u201d incident\u2014no one argued with the decision).<\/span><\/li>\n
- Sheer exhaustion (we give up\u2014do what you want)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Decision Styles<\/strong><\/h3>\nIn response to the problems of decision-making, some leaders have adopted tactics such as:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Authoritarian (good control and quick, but is often wrong and creates low morale)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Consensus (encourages participation\/ unanimity, but is slow without someone to facilitate it through discipline and structure)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Majority rules (very democratic and participative, but allows tyranny of the majority and is slow)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Minority rules (permits persuasion, but creates political resentment)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Underdevelopment<\/strong><\/h3>\nRemember, while the number of meetings is growing, the mismanagement of meetings is costing a substantial amount of money each year. Wasted time equals wasted resources. Meeting leadership is an underdeveloped management skill, but it can be learned.<\/span><\/p>\nMeeting Types<\/strong><\/h3>\nThere are as many types of meetings as there are meeting leaders. Most meetings, however, fall into three general categories:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Information sharing meetings<\/span><\/li>\n
- Task-related meetings\u2014directed or instructional<\/span><\/li>\n
- Task-related meetings\u2014facilitated or developed<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Loss of Creative \u2028Energy<\/strong><\/h3>\nSession leaders typically use more than 60 percent of the communication time available in a meeting, leaving at most 40 percent of the talk time for participants, or 24 minutes in a one-hour meeting. Unequal distribution means much of the creative energy located within the group is not being tapped, decreasing the productivity of the meeting. Hence, it’s no wonder meetings fail because of low energy.<\/span><\/p>\n______<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\nDon\u2019t ruin your career by hosting bad meetings<\/a>. Sign up for a workshop<\/a> or send this to someone who should. MGRUSH<\/span><\/a><\/em> workshops focus on meeting design and practice. Each person practices tools, methods, and activities every day during the week. Therefore, while some call this immersion, we call it the road to building high-value facilitation skills.<\/span><\/p>\nRelated articles<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Meeting Challenges<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The following information processing problems occur because of unstructured meetings:<\/span><\/p>\n Complicating even further are the tactics used by meeting leaders to deal with information-processing problems. Three common and unsuccessful approaches:<\/span><\/p>\n Decisions are made generally by:<\/span><\/p>\n In response to the problems of decision-making, some leaders have adopted tactics such as:<\/span><\/p>\n Remember, while the number of meetings is growing, the mismanagement of meetings is costing a substantial amount of money each year. Wasted time equals wasted resources. Meeting leadership is an underdeveloped management skill, but it can be learned.<\/span><\/p>\n There are as many types of meetings as there are meeting leaders. Most meetings, however, fall into three general categories:<\/span><\/p>\n Session leaders typically use more than 60 percent of the communication time available in a meeting, leaving at most 40 percent of the talk time for participants, or 24 minutes in a one-hour meeting. Unequal distribution means much of the creative energy located within the group is not being tapped, decreasing the productivity of the meeting. Hence, it’s no wonder meetings fail because of low energy.<\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t ruin your career by hosting bad meetings<\/a>. Sign up for a workshop<\/a> or send this to someone who should. MGRUSH<\/span><\/a><\/em> workshops focus on meeting design and practice. Each person practices tools, methods, and activities every day during the week. Therefore, while some call this immersion, we call it the road to building high-value facilitation skills.<\/span><\/p>\n Related articles<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n
Complicating Factors<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Decision Problems<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Decision Styles<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Underdevelopment<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Meeting Types<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Loss of Creative \u2028Energy<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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