7 simple hacks guaranteed to improve your meetings

June 17, 2008

When important matters and decisions are on the table for discussion, conversation can get a little tricky and difficult sometimes.

You can prevent the conversation from getting tangled and tripped up by common pitfalls with a little care in language choice and a few simple strategies for staying on track and making clear decisions.

I’ve compiled my 7 simplest meeting and conflict resolution hacks to help:

  1. When you’ve got a problem to solve, don’t waste valuable face-to-face time. Learn why blamestorming is a waste.
  2. Avoid a common decision-making mistake with silence does not equal yes.
  3. Don’t fall into the trap of this guaranteed disagreement sidetracker: always, never.
  4. When things get a bit hot under the collar, make sure you’re taking the right steps to really cool them down again.
  5. Learn why the phrase I hear you is one to avoid and what to say instead.
  6. Understand why “and” can be a much better word than “but” in conflict situations: Yes, but…
  7. Don’t fear that truly effective listening will inadvertently convey that you agree. Acknowledging is different than agreeing.

What are your favorite meeting and conflict hacks?
Tammy