Presiding officer Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts swears in members of the Senate for the ... [+]
ASSOCIATED PRESSIf you get the twitches at the mere thought of going to a meeting (or God forbid leaving your house) without your phone, you’re not alone. Arguably, just like cars, mobile devices were an amazingly beneficial technological advancement until they became so ubiquitous that we as a society developed a dependence that created an entirely new set of problems.
CNN reports that the rules for the Senate Impeachment trial of President Trump set to commence next week “include a ban on smart phones and electronics, a requirement that senators sit at their desks and not talk to their neighbors, and not read any materials not directly associated with the ongoing testimony.” In other words….no multitasking. While some Senators like Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski reportedly reference the device ban as “beautifully old fashioned” and laud the intended benefit of forcing Senators to give their full attention to the critical issues being discussed, others openly acknowledge anticipated frustration at the thought of Senators being silenced and stripped of the real time electronic access to the outside world to which they’ve become accustomed if not dependent. Furthermore, The New York Times reports that cubbyholes have been installed in the Senate chamber to store each Senator’s electronic devices during the trial. “As senators enter the chamber each day, they will be able to drop off iPhones or iPads in their assigned compartments, much the way kindergartners deposit their galoshes and backpacks at the start of the school day,” reports the New York Times.
As a seasoned workshop facilitator, this particular “multitasking deterrence technique” strikes me as reminiscent of one used in corporate America as an extreme strategy for breaking the addictive behavior of many meeting attendees – checking their phone every 5-10 minutes which invariably leads to minimally attentive meeting participation. Knowing these very real multitasking consequences, I must fully admit to struggling with “phone addiction” myself. I get it – we’ve become a society increasingly uncomfortable with silence, space, or dedicated focus on a single task. Instead, we seem to need constant stimuli to feel productive when the irony is that being mindful – fully focusing on the present – and avoiding multitasking are arguably much more successful approaches.
Just like many of the Senators, most professionals acknowledge the significant dangers associated with multitasking during meetings while continuing to do it. Yes, it is indeed a hard habit to break so what can be done to discourage multitasking during meetings?
Multitasking during meetings is common and counterproductive.
GettyTechniques for Discouraging Multitasking During Meetings
· Proactively discuss the issue with your group and develop a related ground rule. The first order of business in solving the problem is having an honest discussion about the issue. Instead of trying to force some crazy textbook solution down the team’s throat, openly discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of phones in meetings. Proactively discussing the issue provides an opportunity for individual preferences and other considerations to surface. The best hope for identifying a guideline or process that will actually work is developing one that the group proposes, not one that’s been imposed on them. Encourage the group to reach consensus on a ground rule around how to handle phones and other multitasking temptations, then prominently display those ground rules in the meeting room (for future reference once team members start to fall off the wagon).
· Customize your technique/approach to each meeting type. The next key consideration for developing an approach that works is ensuring that it makes sense for that specific meeting type. Each environment is different – different people, group size, levels of seniority, meeting duration/frequency, meeting content/importance, room setup, etc. All of these factors will impact the practicality and feasibility of a particular approach. For example, if you’re having a one-hour formal, televised board meeting where an executive’s termination may be voted on, it might be much more appropriate to use a hard-core approach like requiring devices to be dropped into a repository at the door upon entry. On the other hand, if this is a new team’s half day project kickoff meeting, it might be more appropriate to agree to build 15 minute technology breaks into the agenda every 90 minutes. Don’t make the mistake of trying to force a “one size fits all” approach because what worked like a charm on your last project may be met with disdain on your new one. Developing a realistic process (even if imperfect) that most people will adopt is much better than rolling out some pipe dream procedure that is largely ignored.
· Use facilitation approaches that actively engage participants. A major reason why so many conference call/meeting participants multitask is that they can! If you’re on a conference call where the leader is soliciting ten minute updates from each geographic region, and you can clearly see that your region is listed near the bottom of the agenda, you’re probably more likely to find something else to do until they get to you, right? Meeting organizers really shouldn’t fault attendees for thinking that way – it’s just human nature. Avoid this phenomenon by actively engaging participants throughout the call/meeting. This can be accomplished in several ways.
o Randomly call on participants. People perk up when they hear their name so use names often (particularly on conference calls where you don’t have the benefit of eye contact).
o Design the agenda to engage a variety of participants. Create variety in agenda topics that encourages more inclusive discussion and interaction among the full team. When participants are engaged, they’re less likely to multitask.
o Allow participants to only participate in the portion of the meeting relevant for them. In those cases where someone may truly be needed just for a ten-minute readout, consider allowing them to just call in or show up for that portion. This way they’re much more likely to remain focused.
o Walk around. It’s much harder for participants to multitask when you’re standing right behind or beside them. They tend to feel your presence and pay attention. I’m certainly not suggesting stalking anyone or being physically intimidating, but if you develop a habit of just casually walking the room instead of staying fixed in one spot, it helps engage everyone.
o Get participants out of their seats. Granted, this might only be feasible in certain situations, but if the meeting content supports some sort of physical movement, do it. Maybe you’re designing a draft flowchart, brainstorming improvement ideas or developing a project plan. These are all activities that could be done in small groups standing around a whiteboard or working with post its along a wall. It’s really hard to multitask when you’re actively engaged in a standing activity so look for facilitation techniques that get participants away from their seats or even consider agile techniques like hallway huddles as an alternative to the traditional meeting format.
Virtually everyone succumbs to the gravitational pull of their mobile devices during meetings. Even those who don’t actively peruse their phones are often distracted by annoying news notifications, blinking lights or other alerts. Ignoring the problem is a recipe for disaster. It shouldn’t take a double-blind study to realize that if 50% of your attendees are 30% distracted, your meeting will be longer and less productive. The good news is that there are ways to curb this behavior so initiate that conversation with your team this week. How will your team handle phones in meetings?
2020-01-18 23:32:19Z
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danabrownlee/2020/01/18/can-senators-bear-the-impeachment-trial-without-their-phones-could-you/
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