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【Essay】It's your fault that meetings are boring
In a nutshell
- It's your own fault that meetings are boring. The reason you can't make them interesting is because you're not saying anything interesting.
- When you say something, you are free to say it, but there is a responsibility that comes with it. It is the way of the world to succeed and fail when you speak. If you repeat it, you will get better at it.
- In the case of regular meetings, update the system every week. Make sure it is shorter than last week and that the PDCA cycle is turning more than last week.
A rebuke to the theory that meetings are unnecessary
It has been a long time since the theory that meetings are unnecessary, which says that meetings should be eliminated because they cost as much as the number of participants multiplied by the hourly wage, has been rampant.
The premise is that nothing of value is created in meetings and that they are boring. If you take the extreme view that meetings are a waste of work time, then that is correct.
But I think that's because you don't know the moment when value is actually created in a meeting. It often happens in serious meetings that a single word moves many people and becomes the backbone of a business.
If you ask me, it's your own fault that meetings are boring. You're probably not saying anything interesting or insightful.
Speaking comes with freedom and responsibility
If you want to make meetings interesting, the first thing to do is to become a participant. Try practicing saying something interesting or insightful about the topic.
Of course, at first you may be off-topic, or there may be people who heckle you, saying that what you said was a waste of time. But if you don't speak up, it won't become your own flesh and blood. You can't enjoy the fun of a game unless you participate, and you won't know the outcome unless you speak up.
When you attend a meeting with the premise of speaking, you are required to have the quick-wittedness to instantly understand what the other person is saying and to construct your own opinion. And to make matters worse, once you have said something, you cannot take it back, so you are free to speak, but there is a responsibility that comes with it.
You will gradually realize. The more you speak, the more you will be able to say interesting and insightful things, and the more you will be able to take the lead. The fun of moving things as you wish is exceptional.
First, aim for comments that are written in bold in the minutes. When you can make a comment that is a little different, you can get closer to the truth that only you know, which the world is not aware of.
Update regular meetings
The stories so far have been mainly about brainstorming and discussion meetings. So what about regular meetings where the main purpose is to share information?
One is to avoid formalization with all your might. Regular meetings basically become boring. To avoid boredom, you should either reduce the time to the absolute minimum or implement a PDCA cycle for the regular meeting itself.
The first method, reducing the time to the absolute minimum, is, for example, to systematize it. Create a good template and create a system where you can easily write down what you did this week and what you should improve. First, stop using paper. Next, use a service or wiki that will become a knowledge base. If you do it all at once, it will take extra time, so first try changing the format yourself and then let everyone else know.
The second is to run a PDCA cycle in the regular meeting. This is true for improving the regular meeting itself, but since it is a place where you can review the PDCA of the participants, you should create an environment where you can actively receive the opinions of others. Asking a frank question like, "How was this, really?" can be a trigger to hear an interesting episode from the other person, and you can review your own experience from what they say, so the regular meeting will start to create value.
In any case, the key to a regular meeting is not to do the same thing as last week. If you do the same thing, you will get sleepy.
Aside (Recommended Book)
A recommended design book. It's packed with design tips that you can use forever. I use it often myself.
