Leaders spend their life in meetings.
Ok, I am slightly exaggerating, but many leaders are bogged down by them. On average, they’re caught up in about seven meetings per day. That’s pretty crazy when you think about it. What’s even crazier is how little time we invest in thinking about how to make those meetings better.
Bonjour, in this video, I’ve got one simple piece of advice that can turn your meetings from mundane to effective.
Imagine this: In an experiment on meetings, one of the attendees was actually an actor. The catch? Nobody knew, except the experimenter. The actor was given specific instructions. In half the experiments, he began with something positive.
In the other half, he started with something negative
Here’s what they found. When the meeting started with something positive, it was more constructive. People were engaged, they were actually listening. But when the meeting began with something negative, it was like a mood-killer. The meeting turned out to be less constructive and a tad gloomy.
Now, let’s talk about the real world. Many leaders I work with have meetings stacked back-to-back. It’s like a never-ending game of Tetris trying to fit three or four meetings in the same time slot on their calendar.
They rush from one to another, and let’s face it, that’s not the best way to kick things off. It’s like starting a meeting on the wrong foot.
So, here’s my simple suggestion: Start your meetings with a smile.
At Work Smarter: Live Better, we kick off our meetings with a brief two or three minutes of sharing something positive – it could be a business win or even a personal triumph. Those few minutes can transform the entire meeting. The mood gets a lift, connections deepen, and it sets a more positive and constructive tone for the rest of the discussion.
So, my question for you is this: Do you start your meetings with a smile, with something positive? If you’re not, isn’t it worth considering? Could you invest just two or three minutes to set the stage for a more productive and pleasant meeting?
This is this week’s Work Smarter: Live Better tip.
Let’s all start our meetings with a smile and bring in some positivity. It can make a world of difference.
Wishing you many productive and uplifting meetings ahead!
A bientôt,
Cyril
