Boring Meetings Suck: Get More Out of Your Meetings, or Get Out of More Meetings

Warning: Problem Solving at 8 AM and 6 PM Sucks

The human mind processes billions of bits of information every day. But just like the highway getting clogged at rush hour, your mental freeways aren't free at certain times, either.

First thing in the morning, your brain flits around, already solving problems like these: “How am I going to get the information I need to get that report finished? When's payday? My right-front tire looks low, maybe I need to check the pressure. What meetings am I supposed to be in today, and how can I get out of a couple of them?”

The end of the day can be just as bad, if not worse. “Do I have any food in the house? Am I supposed to pick up Junior from practice, or is he going over to his friend's house? Has the electric bill been paid? Do I have to do laundry for tomorrow? Did I make an appointment for little Coconut at the vet? Oh, I need to check the air pressure in the tire before I get on the highway.”

Would you call a phone number when you know it's busy? Then why try to reach the minds of your audience members when you know they're already busy processing a batch of information? Better to schedule your meeting for a time after the first batch of info has been processed and filed and before the next delivery of problems is expected.

Think of it this way: Diversions between those rush hours can even be welcomed. But trying to access people in the midst of other problems will be met less enthusiastically.

Facilitator SRDs

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