{"id":1964,"date":"2015-05-21T12:32:38","date_gmt":"2015-05-21T12:32:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/csm210469\/?p=1964"},"modified":"2016-09-12T19:32:47","modified_gmt":"2016-09-12T19:32:47","slug":"identifying-the-cast-of-culprits-that-threaten-productive-meetings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/identifying-the-cast-of-culprits-that-threaten-productive-meetings\/","title":{"rendered":"Identifying the Cast of Culprits that Threaten Productive Meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Star Wars movie’s famous bar scene you knew, by appearance, what zany character was sitting beside you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"MeetingEach character had a distinctive look. Yet in today’s meetings you may have no idea the constellation of characters that you\u2019re meeting with. That\u2019s because their normal outward appearances belie often-troublesome behavior. Use this article as your guide to the crazy cast of characters you\u2019re likely to encounter in your meetings. Whether or not you\u2019re armed with a light saber, you\u2019ll nevertheless be equipped to do battle with these oft-destructive forces who subvert meetings with their bothersome behavior.<\/p>\n

The Monopolizer:<\/strong> This person thinks he or she is the only one with wisdom on subjects. The monopolizer believes everyone else is there to hear him or her speak, and so they do, incessantly. They don\u2019t appreciate that meetings offer an opportunity to hear from many. They prattle on and on, arrogantly acting as though their ideas or beliefs are inherently more important than others. Sadly other people shy away from contributing, intimidated by the monopolizer\u2019s stranglehold on the meeting. When facilitators allow this it sends a message their rudeness is sanctioned. The facilitator or even other meeting participants should indicate an interest in hearing from others in the meeting, to remind the monopolizer that others can speak as well as listen.<\/p>\n

The Tangent Talker:<\/strong> This person hijacks the topic of the group by taking discussions off on tangents \u2014 topics unrelated to the issue at hand. One minute you\u2019re on topic and the next minute you\u2019re in \u201cleft field\u201d as your agenda topic has been taken to a tangent. Your meeting chair\u2019s ability to recognize and refocus is essential to a productive meeting. \u201cLet\u2019s remember to confine ourselves to the topic at hand\u201d is a good way to get back on track. Alternately saying, \u201cLet\u2019s try to avoid tangents\u201d also labels such behavior as contrary to the group\u2019s aims. As well, you can \u201cpark\u201d extraneous items in a \u201cparking lot\u201d list where they\u2019re noted, if only to be addressed later.<\/p>\n

The Devil\u2019s Advocate:<\/strong> Let\u2019s face it, there\u2019s one in every crowd and most meetings too. This person seems to relish taking the opposite tack. Whatever the argument being put forth, this person delights in taking an opposing view. It\u2019s sport for them, an exercise in opposition. The more unpopular the stance the more exciting their challenge. Often they begin by saying \u201cjust for the sake of argument\u2026I believe the opposite is true\u2026.\u201d While there\u2019s value in looking at issues from multiple points of view and avoiding groupthink, the Devil\u2019s Advocate applies their technique to every issue, every argument and every conversation. Hold on to your Agenda and get comfortable. This could take a while! A good chair can praise this person\u2019s ability to do this while simultaneously indicating its inappropriateness given time parameters or previously agreed issues.<\/p>\n

Thy Cynic:<\/strong> The ultimate naysayer, this person has a Masters degree in negativity. Adroit at the phrase \u201cit won\u2019t work\u201d they are skilled at deflating and defeating whatever motion is in motion. \u201cCan\u2019t be done.\u201d \u201cThey\u2019ll never buy it.\u201d \u201cWe tried it once and it was a failure.\u201d Their motto: just say no. Challenge these people to think like The Devil\u2019s Advocate and suppose for that things could work. Use the common conflict resolution tool of asking them to embrace the other side\u2019s view as if it were their own, and argue that side\u2019s position.<\/p>\n

The Fence Sitter:<\/strong> Known for their paralysis by analysis, these characters are unable to make decisions. Despite being in a deliberative body, they are conflicted by multiple arguments, and can\u2019t \u201cpull the trigger\u201d when it\u2019s time to make a decision in a meeting. They provide fodder for the Devil\u2019s Advocate, the Cynic and other characters with their ambivalence. Whether they are afraid of being wrong, or of disagreeing with someone else, or just going on record, they are a meeting monster for their inability to move the action forward. Try to cajole them to action. Remind them they have a vote and were invited to use it. Ask them their opinions on matters to draw them out and get them on record.<\/p>\n

The Brown Noser:<\/strong> There\u2019s likely one in every meeting. The person who is so obsequious, bending over backwards to ingratiate himself or herself to the boss, the meeting leader or other power broker. They\u2019re so busy currying favor with others they subvert whatever true feelings they have about issues to \u201ckiss butt.\u201d They are seen to be in the pocket of the person they\u2019re cow-towing to. Ultimately they are seen for who they are and become predictable. Try to elicit their ideas and preferences before asking others as a way of drawing them out.<\/p>\n

The Pandora\u2019s Box Opener:<\/strong> These meeting monsters just have to tackle issues that are emotional, touchy or are \u201chot buttons\u201d for others in the meeting. In every meeting there are topics sure to strike a nerve, to provoke an emotional reaction or enter the group into a quagmire. These people lead the entire meeting into areas that provoke frustration, animosities and often resentment too. Once this box is opened, it\u2019s hard to get its issues back in the box. Discussions of salaries, promotions or personal styles often stir up issues that hijack meetings. Even worse, some culprits reopen issues from earlier in the meeting that have already been resolved. The best cure: a firm \u201clet\u2019s not go there\u2019 from the meeting\u2019s facilitator. Other phrases like \u201clet\u2019s cross that bridge when we get there\u201d or \u201cthat\u2019s a hornets nest we don\u2019t need to disturb\u201d labels certain subjects out of bounds.<\/p>\n

The Attacker:<\/strong> As children these people were bullies. Some haven\u2019t grown up! The attacker deftly mixes negativity with personal attacks, challenging others\u2019 ideas with vigor. Without regard to hurting others\u2019 feelings, the attacker uses a confrontational style to object to others\u2019 ideas and go against the flow. Sadly, sometimes they don\u2019t even realize they\u2019re attacking. A good facilitator can refocus them to be positive, to remove the sting from their words and avoid an adversarial approach. All meeting participants are entitled to stop the meeting when attacked personally. Ad hominem attacks are attacks against one\u2019s person. People can criticize your actions or beliefs, but you don\u2019t have to tolerate attacks against who you are as a person.<\/p>\n

The Joker:<\/strong> Don\u2019t let their good nature fool you, Jokers can be meeting monsters. Their constant joking has the effect of diminishing others\u2019 serious ideas or suggestions. Their infusion of humor can belittle others\u2019 motions and makes it difficult for some to be taken seriously. There is a time and place for joking. While we all like a good laugh, constant joking disrupts a meeting and distracts attention from where it should be. A meeting chair can designate several minutes at the start or middle of a meeting specifically for humor. When it crops up elsewhere and is deemed disruptive, the chair can remind people the time for humor is passed or forthcoming, so as to control it.<\/p>\n

The Robots:<\/strong> Yep, these meeting monsters are actually cell phones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDA\u2019s) and laptops. Each distracts their owner and others too as they intrude on participants\u2019 attention spans during meetings. It’s gotten so bad now cell phones contain cameras within them\u2026just what meetings need. A good meeting chair will create ground rules for meetings, including turning off these gadgets at their outset. It\u2019s hard to compete with human distractions, let alone electronic ones as well.<\/p>\n

As you can see, meetings are full of characters. You should study the behavior in meetings, including your own, to better understand your style of interaction. The character of your meetings will surely be affected by the characters in your meeting. May the force be with you.<\/p>\n

About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

Professional speaker Craig Harrison<\/a> builds credible, confident communicators and stellar sales and service organizations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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