Picture yourself entering a corporate meeting, team meeting, or business meeting. There you are sitting in the room, while someone in the "expert" or "boss" chair speaks to you or at you. There you are, not aligned with that person's mission or vision. There you are, feeling apart from the process. There you are, lacking energy and the desire for being there. There you are, hearing what is going wrong and what you or your team or department needs to change or improve. How are you feeling?
Are you feeling a great connection to the meeting? Are you feeling enthusiastic about being in attendance at the meeting? Are you fully present at the meeting? Are you deeply tuned in and listening with your heart and your head? Are you inspired to co-create, participate, and contribute? Or, are you ready to fall asleep, or count the minutes of what you feel is wasted time?
My experience in my two plus decades of being in business and in coaching business clients around the world is that the system of meetings, clearly, must change. Most meetings don't include participant involvement and actually serve to tune people out rather than tune them in, and as a result, the intention of the meeting falls short of its purpose. In other words, they really can be a waste of precious company time.
The process of Meeting Alignment, that we've been teaching companies around the world, has allowed them to use a systematic process that engages people in meetings and creates a desire for them to contribute and fully participate in these business meetings.
The Meeting Alignment Process and the results it creates include:
A desire to co-create: The purpose of a meeting isn't to get across "your" agenda; it shifts to sharing your thoughts and hearing fully the thoughts and ideas of others to co-create the meeting purpose and actions.
Deep tuning in: Most meetings involve people talking and listening to themselves. The Meeting Alignment Process teaches people to fully listen with their hearts and to listen beyond the words to what is not said, to emotions, and to fully hear others.
The Meeting Alignment Process teaches techniques of being non-judgmental, so that people can fully hear and support each other and let new ideas IN vs. rule out and defend against why things won't work. It produces a safe environment in which people feel encouraged to participate.
Non-attachment: Many people think meetings are about a specific outcome occurring ? the meeting holder's outcome? that's a surefire way to alienate people and result in them NOT wanting to support you. The Meeting Alignment Process allows for each person to give up "their" outcome and allows the meeting and solutions to unfold for the good of the entire group.
What's wrong: Most meetings focus on problems, fixing problems, or informing people of change. The meeting needs to come from a place of asking what IS working and involve what IS the right type questions. These questions form the basis of creating a positive energy flow and opening up creativity. It's the basic principle of encouraging a sense of positivity rather than negativity.
Framework of questions: Questions in this process focus on what is working, why it works, what would be the perfect ideal vision, and what isn't quite right yet, and then, coming up with resources and inspired actions to create the outcome of the meeting.
Feel good! When people attend a meeting where EVERY idea is praised and contributions rewarded and people thanked and really appreciated for their contributions, this raises self-esteem, confidence, and morale. People want to participate in meetings that make them feel good, not only about the company they work for, but about themselves and their role in it.
This process is effective in all companies and will work with all size groups. It requires a shift in the employer and leaders' thinking, from managing and bossing and telling to coaching and co-creating and sharing. The effect is profound. People treated with value and respect, rise up to challenges. They are more excited to solve problems, participate in the mission and vision of the company, and create more productivity. They feel that the company's success is their success. It motivates them to greater achievement.
Companies following a systematic process of creating a Meeting Alignment Process, take morale out of the toilet bowl fast. Their employees are happier, their retention rates rise, and the corporate culture shifts to one of enthusiasm.
A beneficial win-win situation is created and everybody gets to bask in success.
Written by Terri Levine, MCC, PCC, MS, CCC-SLP, the CEO ofCoaching Instruction.com, popular Master Certified personal and business Coach, sought after Public Speaker, and Author of bestsellers, "Stop Managing, Start Coaching", "Work Yourself Happy", "Coaching for an Extraordinary Life" and "Create Your Ideal Body". She can be contacted via the web site http://www.terrilevine.com or by telephone: 215-699-4949.
green cleaning service Glencoe ..Franchisees of a particular franchise must get along in order... Read More
One of the best ways to ensure that your planning... Read More
The second in a series of 2 articles giving a... Read More
Team Building Question:Our office has recently learned that about 20... Read More
Why do some teams perform well while others struggle? How... Read More
As I work with clients to strengthen their teams and... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
The people in your team may feel a bit uncomfortable... Read More
It's frustrating when your co-workers, audience members, teenager or even... Read More
Workplace safety is important to all businesses for ethical, legal... Read More
Project Head Start has been successful not only for the... Read More
It's the summer of 1973, and a young film director... Read More
The effects of conflict in the workplace are widespread and... Read More
Picture yourself entering a corporate meeting, team meeting, or business... Read More
The feedback I'm talking about here isn't some sort of... Read More
I'm often asked, "Why is my team always fighting fires... Read More
Companies often have incentives for reps, but sometimes that isn't... Read More
This sports cliche is a memorable phrase that reminds people... Read More
In the constantly changing world of Call Centers, asking agents... Read More
Franchisors should also be heavy on the award side of... Read More
Do you remember how you felt after your last interaction... Read More
Giving gifts to your co-workers or your employees can be... Read More
Team Building Question:I'm a manager of a team of 20... Read More
Do you let your people express their thoughts about the... Read More
Presenteeism is alive and 'not well' in many businesses today.... Read More
house cleaning company Bannockburn ..The second in a series of 2 articles giving a... Read More
In most organisations the administration/support team, although they can be... Read More
According to the Oxford Dictionary of Current English, to speak... Read More
In a recent group coaching session, a client mentioned that... Read More
The Fantasy: Your marketing budget is packed to the brim... Read More
You're at a meeting with key staff. You want some... Read More
True or false? Teams that practice good teamwork contribute to... Read More
I declared a Communications Major two years into school, after... Read More
Recently I decided to stretch my athletic abilities and add... Read More
It's frustrating when your co-workers, audience members, teenager or even... Read More
Consensus is the appropriate decision strategy for the most important... Read More
Let's look at the detail of giving feedback. Whether you... Read More
"When teamwork kicks in, nobody can beat you." Don Shula,... Read More
The effects of conflict in the workplace are widespread and... Read More
Feedback:Most experts agree both types; constructive and positive feedback are... Read More
We live in very progressive times, one only has to... Read More
Many believe a leaner government promotes better freedoms with respect... Read More
Remember playing in your childhood sandbox? If you enjoyed being... Read More
On the trail in Northern Canada "Marche" was the word... Read More
Presenteeism is alive and 'not well' in many businesses today.... Read More
Over the years there has been much ado about team... Read More
Too often teams aren't assembled. They just happen. A project... Read More
Companies often have incentives for reps, but sometimes that isn't... Read More
Do you remember how you felt after your last interaction... Read More
Teams, teams, teams. They're all the rage these days. Whether... Read More
Team Building |