Where you did you learn to plan your first meeting? What is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is your answer anything like these we heard?
- Oh, I don’t know, I guess I just watched my manager and kinda figured it out.
- I took a hybrid of what several managers did- some were bad, some were good. I just mashed them together and made up my own style.
- I just did it, crashed and burned a few times, and just kinda figured it out. It’s still painful sometimes.
Most of what we heard is that no one gives the context or the backstory to these glorious productions called meetings. Glorious productions? Doesn’t that describe your meetings? Why not? Maybe it’s time it did.
What if someone could give you an explanation of these nebulous things called meetings? What if you could have more context to consider that is so important in getting meetings right? Consider how much easier your day to day work could be with this information. Meeting planning skills are more important than ever now with so many meetings happening over video conference. Zoom fatigue anyone?
Over the last few months, I’ve been working on something new. Questions were posed to several individuals and executives about meetings and meetings skills. After receiving feedback, a plan was crafted and put into motion. *queue evil behind the scenes laughter*
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It was time to reflect, codify, and share. We are launching our first training course on meetings next month. It’s being gently crafted with the same human centered pragmatic approach we used to build our software. This isn’t about any one software platform, it’s about the skills and behaviors needed to effectively plan meetings. Think of it like driving skills. Once you have mastered how to drive, you can take those skills into many different vehicles and operate with at least a modicum of success. It’s the same with meeting skills.
I took a couple hundred hours and reflected on all I’ve learned the last 3 years in hundreds of conversations about meeting challenges and successes. I combined this with now 20 + years (gasp-am I that old?) of industry experience planning and attending meetings, both nationally and internationally. But that wasn’t enough. The material needed feedback and input to make sure it really represents what many of us experience each day.
I worked with Mary Kay from Bus Stop Mama’s, and was able to find 10 women to help make sure this training would be useful. These women had backgrounds across a number of different industries and significant meetings experience. Many had managed entry level talent and could speak to their observations too. They painstakingly reviewed the material to make sure it was as comprehensive as it could be without being overwhelming. They helped me take my systems thinking pragmatic engineering brain and turn it into an online course, quizzes, and a workbook. They also gently encouraged me to get out from behind my little Google slides and get on camera (gulp). But what do you do when studios are still pretty much off limits due to the pandemic? You do what any little scrappy startup would do- you transform your living room into a studio! This was my first ever green screen experience.
We’ve all been forced through a digital transformation this year. Things that didn’t matter THAT much before have suddenly become glaring holes that are eating our productivity. We want to help. So we’ve gone back to the basics to dust off those meeting skills and help you take a fresh look in order to improve your meetings. This won't be generic advice. This will be practical considerations that you can take with you to improve your skills. More to come as we get ready to launch in September. Thanks for being part of our journey.
Amber Christian
Amber is the founder of Wonderly Software Solutions and creator of Bella Scena.
