Brainstorming

I enjoy a good brainstorm.  But I find that the art of brainstorming is often underutilized.  Either people can't get the ideas going and sit there silently, or they talk in long, drawn-out sentences.  Brainstorming is about firing off ideas.  Quickly.  Without judgment.  Open to anything.  That's what brainstorming is.  Once you're finished with your brainstorming agenda item, or you're brainstorming meeting, well, then you can sit there looking bored or refute new ideas with extended commentary.  But that's not brainstorming.

How many makes too many?

Group wordsmithing is unpleasant.  Trying to edit a document or draft a statement are tasks for one person or small groups of two to three.  This may seem obvious.  But how do we go about making decisions for what is best to decide in a large group meeting, and when it is best to send to a subcommittee?  I usually tend to believe that smaller groups who volunteer for the job, have the confidence of the larger group, and are charged with developing a recommendation can get work done in a more efficient manner than in a large meeting setting.

Eye contact

What gets said in a meeting isn't necessarily the most impactful message.  Sometimes it's the body language that speaks the loudest.  A head down, eyes on the table vs. eyes on the person who is talking.  When you choose where to lay your eyes, what a strong message you send.

Professional or personal?

I've been struggling this week with the balance between the professional and the personal in meetings.  A professional meeting, that is, one that occurs on work time or in a work capacity, requires a more professional tone.  The meeting agenda stays focused on the agenda and tasks, rather than our personal feelings and needs.  A family meeting around the kitchen table, for example, that's where the personal shows up.  But this week I've experienced some meetings where the two got blended together.  That surely is unavoidable.  And I'm still trying to figure out the right blend.