Meetings galore
Have you ever received an email or text, read its contents, interpreted the message and got angry as a result, only to find that your interpretation was wrong and your anger misplaced? This happens because modern technology encourages us to quickly write and send messages, so we don’t take the time to check how they might appear to the recipient. The reader in turn can view the message at their leisure, interpreting it and re-interpreting it depending on their mood and their view of the sender. All of which can be a recipe for disaster.
It is commonly stated that two-thirds of our communication is by non-verbal methods and this could explain why, despite new technology, commercial pressure and the risk inherent in driving long distances, we all still have a preference for face-to-face meetings. I have a love/hate relationship with meetings depending on the day-to-day situation. When under the pressure of deadlines, meetings are a distraction and I want to get in, achieve the objective and get out. Bad control by the Chair, or participants using the meeting for their own agendas and rambling on, raise the blood pressure! Another minor irritant is the business jargon that meetings inevitably stimulate and led to the creation of business meeting bingo: blue sky thinking; thinking outside the box; low-hanging fruit; running the flag up the flagpole. At other times, meetings come as a period of relief: a justified time to ease up, listen to other people and contribute when and as required.
Meetings do have a habit of eating up time. When you add up the time of all the participants you can arrive at a considerable sum, both in time and money. Not surprising then that one of the main stated attributes of an effective meeting is to take up the minimum amount of time. One initiative to achieve this attribute has been the removal of chairs and to conduct a stand-up meeting. This is to remove the mindset of settling in for the duration, triggered by sitting in a chair and getting comfortable with a drink. I recently read of a further development of this, aimed not at saving time but at the fact that sitting down is one of the unhealthiest things we do. So, now we have the walking meeting. I can see the fringe benefits of such a meeting: the ability to walk faster when a person drones on, so that
they stop talking to get their breath or their words get lost in the wind!
That old NDT maxim of horses for courses also applies to meetings. So, a standing meeting is appropriate on occasion; you have probably seen such team huddles in the local supermarket or participated in a standing safety briefing. With new technology, video conference meetings are easy to set up and save on travel time, whilst allowing you to see the other participants. In one such meeting, the video contact was only allowed for a pre-set period. Knowing that the link would be cut at a set time meant that everyone’s focus was on completing the objectives of the meeting before the screen went blank.
Telephone conferences work well, especially if they are between distinct parties at each telephone. Sometimes communication can be aided by not being able to see body language! Their disadvantage is when most people are assembled at one location and only one or two people join in by phone. The people on the phone, especially when they are listening and hence quiet, can be forgotten. The participants in the main room may not speak clearly into the microphone so that those on the phone get the sound fading in and out, making it difficult to hear what is being said. These issues can be easily solved if people make the effort.
The PANI management meetings were some of the best meetings I have attended. Their purpose was clear. There was usually sufficient time to go through the agenda whilst letting people make their contributions. All the members contributed to the meeting and didn’t shy away from expressing their views, which due to the make up of the panel gave a valuable variety of perspectives. There was the added benefit of being able to catch up with the various members before, after and at the breaks. The members of the management committee travelled from far and wide and so a commitment to attend such a meeting usually meant setting aside a full day, if not more for some people. This in turn imposes a responsibility on the meeting to achieve its aim whilst motivating individuals to obtain maximum benefit from the time invested. The only downside from my point of view was that, as the project manager for the project, I usually ended up with a shed load of actions.
Meetings are an integral part of NDT: from understanding clients’ needs to presenting results; from the formulation of standards to BINDT committees; from workshops to Branch meetings. It is incumbent on us all to learn how to make the most of them. We should know how and when to be curt and efficient and how and when to be relaxed and social. And these skills can be transferred to aid our personal life.
Have you ever treated a visit to the doctor’s or an interview as a meeting?
Please note that the views expressed in this column are the author’s own personal ramblings for the purpose of encouraging discussion within the NDT Newspaper. They do not represent the views of the IVC, AMEC or the HSE who funded the PANI projects.
Letters can be mailed to The Editor, NDT News, Newton Building, St George’s Avenue, Northampton NN2 6JB. Fax: 01604 89 3861; Email: ndtnews@bindt.org or email Bernard McGrath direct at bernard.mcgrath@amec.com
It is commonly stated that two-thirds of our communication is by non-verbal methods and this could explain why, despite new technology, commercial pressure and the risk inherent in driving long distances, we all still have a preference for face-to-face meetings. I have a love/hate relationship with meetings depending on the day-to-day situation. When under the pressure of deadlines, meetings are a distraction and I want to get in, achieve the objective and get out. Bad control by the Chair, or participants using the meeting for their own agendas and rambling on, raise the blood pressure! Another minor irritant is the business jargon that meetings inevitably stimulate and led to the creation of business meeting bingo: blue sky thinking; thinking outside the box; low-hanging fruit; running the flag up the flagpole. At other times, meetings come as a period of relief: a justified time to ease up, listen to other people and contribute when and as required.
Meetings do have a habit of eating up time. When you add up the time of all the participants you can arrive at a considerable sum, both in time and money. Not surprising then that one of the main stated attributes of an effective meeting is to take up the minimum amount of time. One initiative to achieve this attribute has been the removal of chairs and to conduct a stand-up meeting. This is to remove the mindset of settling in for the duration, triggered by sitting in a chair and getting comfortable with a drink. I recently read of a further development of this, aimed not at saving time but at the fact that sitting down is one of the unhealthiest things we do. So, now we have the walking meeting. I can see the fringe benefits of such a meeting: the ability to walk faster when a person drones on, so that
they stop talking to get their breath or their words get lost in the wind!
That old NDT maxim of horses for courses also applies to meetings. So, a standing meeting is appropriate on occasion; you have probably seen such team huddles in the local supermarket or participated in a standing safety briefing. With new technology, video conference meetings are easy to set up and save on travel time, whilst allowing you to see the other participants. In one such meeting, the video contact was only allowed for a pre-set period. Knowing that the link would be cut at a set time meant that everyone’s focus was on completing the objectives of the meeting before the screen went blank.
Telephone conferences work well, especially if they are between distinct parties at each telephone. Sometimes communication can be aided by not being able to see body language! Their disadvantage is when most people are assembled at one location and only one or two people join in by phone. The people on the phone, especially when they are listening and hence quiet, can be forgotten. The participants in the main room may not speak clearly into the microphone so that those on the phone get the sound fading in and out, making it difficult to hear what is being said. These issues can be easily solved if people make the effort.
The PANI management meetings were some of the best meetings I have attended. Their purpose was clear. There was usually sufficient time to go through the agenda whilst letting people make their contributions. All the members contributed to the meeting and didn’t shy away from expressing their views, which due to the make up of the panel gave a valuable variety of perspectives. There was the added benefit of being able to catch up with the various members before, after and at the breaks. The members of the management committee travelled from far and wide and so a commitment to attend such a meeting usually meant setting aside a full day, if not more for some people. This in turn imposes a responsibility on the meeting to achieve its aim whilst motivating individuals to obtain maximum benefit from the time invested. The only downside from my point of view was that, as the project manager for the project, I usually ended up with a shed load of actions.
Meetings are an integral part of NDT: from understanding clients’ needs to presenting results; from the formulation of standards to BINDT committees; from workshops to Branch meetings. It is incumbent on us all to learn how to make the most of them. We should know how and when to be curt and efficient and how and when to be relaxed and social. And these skills can be transferred to aid our personal life.
Have you ever treated a visit to the doctor’s or an interview as a meeting?
Please note that the views expressed in this column are the author’s own personal ramblings for the purpose of encouraging discussion within the NDT Newspaper. They do not represent the views of the IVC, AMEC or the HSE who funded the PANI projects.
Letters can be mailed to The Editor, NDT News, Newton Building, St George’s Avenue, Northampton NN2 6JB. Fax: 01604 89 3861; Email: ndtnews@bindt.org or email Bernard McGrath direct at bernard.mcgrath@amec.com
