Those of us who have an easier time processing information via reading rather than listening are lucky to live in a world of ridiculous technological advancements. Plus, making notes by hand can shift your attention away from the screen and all the digital distractions that come with it. But a good friend who spends all day in meetings has found more success with handwritten notes. I take notes in a Word doc because I type faster than I write. But for parts of the meeting that you'll want to remember, refer to, or learn from, be consistent in your note-taking. Skip note-taking during the small talk portions of meetings for obvious reasons: you don't need notes on how your colleague's dog is doing (important as that may be). Taking notes makes listening more active: it forces you to pay attention to what the other person is saying, plus it gives you a record you can revisit later, even if you're not processing it totally in the moment. Trying to listen passively is when my mind always starts to wander. And close out any tabs or programs likely to be a visual distraction during an auditory meeting. Put your phone in another room until the meeting's over. Turn on a social media blocker (I use Focus and recommend it for Mac users). So try out some different tricks to avoid your usual temptations. But for visual learners, multitasking is a recipe for disaster-you'll completely lose the thread of the meeting to the point where you might not realize if it's time to focus back in. And in some cases (and for some people), multitasking during a meeting makes sense. The temptation to click over to Twitter for a few minutes while your colleague is talking is real. Here are some things I do to make meetings work for me. Instead, you need strategies that enable you to get what you need from them. Do some experimenting to see which option works best for you, and then face-mute when you need to.Įxcuses about why you don't like meetings won't get you very far in the professional world. Plus, it can help you feel more connected. On the other hand, seeing facial expressions in addition to just hearing their voice might help a visual learner pay better attention or better remember what was said. If this is the case-or if you find yourself paying more attention to how you look than what the other person is saying-then video isn't doing you any favors. Keeping video on can i ncrease meeting fatigue and lead to less engagement, especially for people who spend a lot of time in meetings. Then, if the discussion starts to veer off topic, you can point people back to the stated goals and get things back on track.įigure out if you're a video-on or video-off person. Share the agenda with everyone who will be attending to make sure you're all on the same page. If you can cover the same territory just as well in a brief email exchange or Slack thread, do it. The " meeting that could have been an email" is a cliché for a reason. So regardless of your learning style, start with these tips.Ĭonfirm if it needs to be a meeting. When you're stuck in an unnecessary meeting that has no clear focus, there's very little you can do to make it a productive experience. You probably can't avoid them completely-but you can use some strategies to help you better process the information. But no matter which category you fall into, you'll face situations where you have to adapt to other people's preferences.įor people like me, who learn better through reading and writing than listening, business meetings present a serious challenge. And for others, hands-on learning is the way to go. Some people respond well to auditory information. Some people can focus and process information best when it's visual (that's me).
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