Tips for Improving Team Synergy in Meetings

Ever feel like your team meetings are just a bunch of talking heads? You're not alone… But what if I told you the key to unlocking better collaboration, higher engagement, and stronger results lies in something often overlooked? Active listening is more than just keeping quiet while someone speaks… It's about truly paying attention, understanding the speaker's intent, showing the speaker you understand them, and responding thoughtfully I recently coached an David (an engineering manager) on this His team was brimming with talent, but constantly missing deadlines, struggling to collaborate, and fixing mistakes that were caused by misunderstandings David noticed frustration and a lack of engagement, and after digging a little deeper, we identified a core problem… Team members weren't actively listening to each other! Ideas were interrupted, and some felt their voices weren't valued, which created a culture of hesitation and hindered creative problem-solving But changing a team culture starts at the top… Through coaching, David honed his active listening skills and implemented these practices with his team: **Give Full Attention:** David learned to silence distractions, make eye contact, and truly focus on the speaker. This simple act communicated respect and encouraged open communication **Practice Reflection and Paraphrasing:** David began summarizing key points to ensure everyone was on the same page, which clarified understanding and fostered trust **Ask Clarifying Questions:** David encouraged questions to delve deeper into ideas and build upon each other's thoughts, which fostered a more collaborative environment **Embrace Silence:** David created space for thoughtful responses instead of jumping in to fill pauses, which allowed for deeper reflection and richer discussions **Active Listening for All:** David encouraged team members to practice active listening with each other, which fostered a culture of mutual respect and understanding These simple practices produced remarkable results! Communication improved dramatically, deadlines were met, innovation soared, and the team thrived on collaboration because everyone felt empowered to share ideas freely, knowing they would be heard Implement these active listening techniques in your next team meeting and see the difference! #Leadership #CivilEngineering #SoftwareEngineering

Is there too much talking and not enough decision-making in your meetings? Try this at your next meeting: 1. Ask people to create recommendations. I always ask people to give me a headline and 3-4 bullet points to explain what it is or how it works. (I recommend 4x6 post it notes) 2. Give folks 90 seconds to explain their recommendation. 3. Put all recommendations on a flip chart and ask people to dot vote for the recommendation that best solves the problem. (Look up how to conduct a dot vote) 4. Present the recommendations in rank order. Narrow your conversation to reviewing the trade-offs of the top two recommendations. 5. Make a choice - When the discussion is winding down, try to summarize by saying, "So the choice we are making is ...?" 6. Write the choice in an email and send it out after the meeting. This is the approach I took with Nebraska Cancer Specialists, and one person commented, "This would have taken us forever to reach a consensus. You managed to do it in three hours." I'd like to thank Danielle Geiger and the team for inviting me to facilitate their annual planning workshop. Outstanding work, team!

🧠 Next-In-Line Effect 🧠 The Next-In-Line Effect is a cognitive bias where an individual is less likely to recall information presented by others immediately preceding their own turn to speak or perform. This phenomenon happens in various settings, from group meetings to collaborative brainstorming sessions. It highlights the importance of mindfulness and active listening in team dynamics. --- The cause of this effect appears to be an inability to encode the information into long-term memory before our turn to speak. Another study found that this effect can be prevented and even reversed by asking participants to pay more attention to the events preceding their turn. This phenomenon is seen as part of a broader set of cognitive processes that involve selective attention and memory. --- For UX professionals, this effect can play a huge part in how we work in a group setting. In a team brainstorming session, for example, we might forget the points made by the person speaking right before us, because we are preoccupied with what we are about to say ourselves. Since studies have shown that simply being asked to pay closer attention reduces or even eliminates this bias altogether, it’s important to remember that during large team meetings, it’s important to pay attention to what’s being said and not focus on what is going through your head before you decide to speak up. As someone with ADHD, this is one of the hardest things I’ve had to struggle with in professional settings. I often have a million things running through my head in meetings and I’m easily distracted. I’ve found that taking notes during meetings and writing down things in my head helps me remember what I want to say when it’s my turn to talk. Instead of trying to remember what I want to say, this allows me to focus on what others are saying. --- 🎯 Here are some key takeaways 1️⃣ Simply be aware of the Bias: Being aware can help us actively listen, pay more attention, and engage with what everyone is saying. It also helps to remember that others will be affected by this bias, so we should do what we can to reinforce engagement and attention. 2️⃣ Practice active listening: Encourage team members to actively listen to others and perhaps take brief notes to ensure information is not lost. 3️⃣ Foster a supportive environment: Encourage a culture where team members feel comfortable and don’t feel pressured to impress everyone else. This might reduce anxiety and increase memory retention. 4️⃣ Use visual aids: Using visual aids during meetings can help reinforce what's being said and make it more memorable for the audience or group. 5️⃣ Emphasize recap and summary: After each person's turn or at the end of the meeting or brainstorming session, a quick recap of what was said can help reinforce information and ensure that nothing important was missed. #UXdesign #CognitiveBias Check out the comments for some helpful links!

Do you have trouble getting the entire team to participate in group discussions, brainstorming sessions, etc.? To get people talking in group settings, create a safe and inclusive atmosphere. Here's how: 1. Set Ground Rules: Make it clear that all opinions are valued and that it's a judgment-free zone. 2. Small Talk First: Warm up with light topics so folks get comfortable speaking. 3. Use Open-Ended Questions: Questions that can't be answered with just "yes" or "no" open up the floor for more detailed discussion. 4. Direct Invitations: Sometimes people just need a nudge. Call on them directly but offer an easy out like, "Feel free to pass." 5. Silent Moments: Pause and allow silence. This gives people time to gather their thoughts and often encourages quieter folks to chime in. 6. Positive Reinforcement: When someone does speak up, validate their contribution, even if it's just a simple "great point." 7. Anonymity: Use tools or methods that let people contribute anonymously. Then discuss the anonymous points as a group. 8. Break into Smaller Groups: Big settings can be intimidating. Smaller group discussions can make it easier for people to open up. 9. Rotate Roles: Give different team members the role of facilitator or note-taker in each meeting to encourage active participation. 10. Follow-Up: If someone doesn't speak up but you think they have valuable insights, follow up privately. They may be more comfortable sharing one-on-one. Remember, the goal is not to pressure people into speaking but to make it easier for them to do so if they wish. #leadership #teambuilding #communication

We don't need more meetings, we need better ones. Here's how: Ever wonder what sets apart those game-changing meetings that leave everyone inspired and empowered? Here are 8 tried-and-tested rules straight from the playbook of Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, to transform your meetings into powerful moments of collaboration and innovation. Let's dive in: 1️⃣ Start with a Purpose: ↳ Every meeting should have a clear objective. ↳ What do you aim to achieve? ↳ Define your purpose upfront to ensure everyone's aligned and focused. 2️⃣ Keep it Lean & Mean: ↳ Respect everyone's time. ↳ Stick to the essentials and avoid unnecessary tangents. ↳ Efficiency breeds productivity! 3️⃣ Invite Only the Essentials: ↳ Less is more. Only invite individuals who truly contribute to the agenda. ↳ Quality over quantity leads to more impactful discussions. 4️⃣ Encourage Open Dialogue: ↳ Create a safe space for diverse perspectives. ↳ Encourage everyone to speak up and share their insights without fear of judgment. 5️⃣ Embrace Disagreement: ↳ Healthy debates spark innovation. ↳ Don't shy away from differing opinions; instead, leverage them to uncover new insights and solutions. 6️⃣ Set Actionable Takeaways: ↳ Ensure every meeting concludes with actionable next steps. ↳ Who's responsible for what? ↳ Clarify roles and responsibilities to drive progress. 7️⃣ Stay Flexible & Adapt: ↳ Be prepared to pivot if needed. ↳ Circumstances change, and so should your approach. ↳ Stay agile to keep moving forward. 8️⃣ Lead with Empathy: ↳ Above all, remember that behind every idea is a person. ↳ Show empathy, listen actively, and foster a culture of respect and understanding. 📌 PS...Remember, the true mark of a successful meeting isn't just in the notes you take or the tasks you assign—it's in the relationships you build and the impact you make. *** 👉 Want a high-res PDF of this cheat sheet? Try The Extra Mile Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gaewRGyj You'll get this cheat sheet + more for free.

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 . . . 🔷 As leaders, it's common to encounter teams that lack participation, collaboration, and engagement, particularly in meetings. 👉 Research shows: 9 out of 10 people daydream in meetings 50% find meetings unproductive 25% of meetings discuss irrelevant issues 75% of leaders haven’t received formal training on conducting meetings 🔷 As leaders, we know that low participation in meetings can severely impact team productivity by reducing collaboration, leading to poor decision-making, eroding team unity, and wasting time and resources. 🔷Traditional strategies to boost participation—such as setting clear agendas and asking open-ended questions—often fall short. Instead, fostering a safe, inclusive team culture is key. 👇 Here’s how leaders can tackle this issue: 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 Focus on understanding individual team members through one-on-one meetings. This approach uncovers valuable insights and encourages future engagement. Key questions include: ❓How do you feel about your role and contributions? ❓Are there any challenges impacting your participation? ❓What changes could improve your meeting experience? 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 Address team-level dynamics with these strategies: ✅ Set Clear Expectations: Define desired behaviors and model them. ✅ Celebrate Positive Behaviors: Recognize team members who embody supportive and constructive behaviors. ✅ Invite Participation: Embed desired behaviors into every meeting, encouraging everyone to contribute. 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 🎇 Introduce New Rituals: Start meetings by reaffirming team values and behaviors. 🎇Enhance Structure: Ensure agendas are clear and communicated in advance. 🎇Rotate Facilitation: Empower all team members by rotating the facilitation role. 🎇Address Power Dynamics: Make sure all voices are heard equally. 🌟 By creating a supportive team culture and addressing both personal and group dynamics, leaders can transform team meetings into productive and inclusive sessions. 💡 Ask your team regularly: “𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧?” Let their answers guide you to a more engaged and participative meeting environment!