Do your work meetings seemingly drag on forever and then accomplish little to nothing? Maybe technology is the culprit. Laptops, smartphones and tablets are great tools. Nevertheless they can also sidetrack your staff during company meetings.
Turn off the tech
Jake Knapp, though, has a answer for you. He’s a design partner with Google Ventures. And in a recent column for the Medium Web site, Knapp suggests bosses prohibit employees from dragging non-necessary technology into meetings. Bosses who do this will likely substantially improve the actual work that gets done during these meetings.
Bye-bye tablets
Knapp proposes that meeting attendees not be permitted to bring their laptops, smart phones, tablets, or even their smart watches into meetings. That way, they’ll be poised to focus on what you’re actually saying, not what’s flashing on a screen in front of them. Inc. Magazine, in their recent "5 Ways To Spot A Potential Leader" article we passed around at our own office recently, proposes that true leaders genuinely engage with people, rather than screens.
Something to consider.
The timer is key
And to give hope to your unexpectedly tech-deprived employees? Set up a timer so that everyone in the meeting can see it. When that timer goes off, the meeting is finished – no matter what.