Another day, another video conference call. You’re one of twenty-two faces on the screen. About fifteen minutes into the call, you realize that your mind has started to wander. You consider that you should probably give a little more attention to the meeting but decide that you can work through a few emails that have been sitting in your inbox. No one will notice anyway, right?
Organizations have spent years training leaders to run productive meetings, and the conversation has become even more specific in recent days as leaders are expected to run productive virtual meetings. Although the role of the meeting leader is a critical topic, what is often overlooked in training is the role that participants play in a meeting’s success.
Over a century ago, a French architectural engineer made a discovery that may explain why virtual meetings can be so challenging. Max Ringelmann asked a group of people to pull on a rope. He then asked participants, individually, to pull on the same rope. He observed that when people worked alone, they put more energy into pulling than when they worked as a team. The larger the team, the less responsibility an individual took for the team’s success.
The Ringelmann Effect, as it’s known today, is magnified in virtual meetings and conference calls. When we don’t feel critical to the success of the meeting, we tend to become distracted and give less effort to the meeting (if we don’t tune out entirely). How can we minimize the Ringelmann Effect and give more to (and get more from) our meetings? The secret involves thoughtful and targeted involvement. Here are four tactics that will encourage us to contribute more effectively to our next virtual meeting.
Clarify our value. Before jumping into our next meeting, let’s take a few moments to define our purpose in the meeting. Consider questions such as:
- Why have I been invited to this meeting?
- What contribution can I make to each agenda item?
- What do I hope to learn from the call?
Having clarity around our value to the meeting (and its value to us) will encourage our minds to stay engaged.
Aim to listen first, then speak. We can sometimes become so fixated on sharing information that it impairs our ability to listen for information. In virtual meetings, this tendency creates regrettable results as people are talking at (or over) one another rather than having a healthy discussion. Ironically, one of the best ways to be heard is to be a good listener. Research shows that when we practice active listening, it improves the engagement level of others, making it more likely that they will take notice when we speak and actively listen to us. People are more likely to listen if they first feel heard.
Practice the bounce back. Despite our best efforts to participate well, it’s natural for our minds to wander. When it happens, we can note the distracting thought (assuming it needs to be recorded) and then return our attention to the call. David finds it helpful to have a pad of paper next to him during all meetings. He uses it to jot down distracting thoughts that he can revisit after the meeting or make a note of questions he may want to ask later.
Ask questions. Regardless of how quickly we bounce back, we may find that when we re-engage in a conversation, it has moved in a new direction. We can give ourselves a moment to catch up naturally, but we should never be afraid to admit we lost the transition point and seek help. We can simply say, “I think I must have gotten lost for a second. Could we revisit how we transitioned from discussing our telecommuting policy to talking about telehealth?” Because we can all be victims of wandering minds, it’s likely our question will help others on the call too.
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Topical Humor: If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be ‘meetings’ (Dave Barry)
