Open conflict, tense meetings, and burned bridges are all too common at work. If you’re thrown into an awkward situation with the expectation that you can make it better, try some of these strategies and see if they work for you. What other methods have you used to diffuse tough work situations?
To make your next meeting a bit less cringe-worthy, here are 10 suggestions for easy, fun, and relatively painless icebreakers.
We’ve all been there: the interminable meeting. The second hand on the clock quickly eclipses the minute hand; the minute hand painstakingly defies logic and stands still. Conversation circles around the nebulous “point” of the meeting. Eyes turn to phones with less and less discretion as time ticks by. Action items are recorded but neverRead… Read more »
Let’s assume that, as an IT leader and decision maker, you understand the importance of clear and efficient communications. Whether with superiors, subordinates, peers, vendors, or customers, good communications are a key ingredient to your success. And you’ve probably read or heard somewhere that 93% or some similar percentage of interpersonal communications are non-verbal; thatRead… Read more »
Several months ago, a coworker noticed I had a “throw down meeting” scheduled on my Outlook calendar. “Is everything OK?” she asked, eyebrows furled. I laughed, and realized I had some explaining to do! I told her “throw down” is slang for “fight” – those of us who work with troubled teens have heard aboutRead… Read more »
You might be asking from the start, “what does that graphic have to do with thinking right?” Well, it depicts the problem of adversarial thinking and unfortunately, it’s the most common form we are exposed to and poison for an organization. Such thinking plays out in front of us every day in politics and religionRead… Read more »
If you regularly attend business meetings, you probably feel that some are more productive than others. No one enjoys meetings that seem to (or do) drag on for hours, and lose sight of the planned agenda along the way. Fortunately, there are several good tools and technologies available to help make your next meeting orRead… Read more »
Greetings colleagues, I have had the pleasure of working with Julie Butler and ICMA for the past two years. Julie was charged with extending the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) annual meeting to a worldwide government professional virtual audience. Police and emergency services are struggling with lower tax revenues and reduced budgets, upsetting their traditionalRead… Read more »
Interview and Show Notes: http://www.MeetingTipsRadio.com/ElaineStove In this episode of Meeting Tips Radio, Elaine Stover of greenschemes shares several practical meeting tips that you can use today! Elaine Stover is a Human Ecologist, Facilitator, Trainer and Process Designer, and Founder and Principal, greenschemes™. She has lived and worked in four countries outside of the U.S.: Australia,Read… Read more »
Business has changed – how we do it, where we work, what we are responsible for, and who we are working with has been radically shaken – sometimes I feel like the paint can in that shaking mixer at the paint store. Working smart and efficiently is needed to cover the additional responsibilities we inheritedRead… Read more »