It’s true.
Ducks hold meetings in the park. And they are remarkably similar to business meetings (held in conference rooms, for example).
Here’s what happens.
1) No one pays attention to anyone.
Every duck is looking in a different direction. Most don’t even appear to be part of the meeting. And none of them are watching the duck who is quacking. But they are all there because ducks have to know about everything that is happening in the park.
2) Ducks deliver lengthy monologues.
Expect to hear: “Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack.” Sure, this may last only half a minute but that’s a long time for a duck with an attention span of five seconds. It’s useful, however, because during this monologue the other ducks forget what they were going to say. So they begin quacking about something else.
3) More than one duck quacks at the same time.
Research on duck social dynamics has shown that this occurs because a) none of the ducks pay attention to the quacker, b) none of the ducks care about what the quacker is quacking, and c) none of the ducks have manners.
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It’s true.
Ducks hold meetings in the park. And they are remarkably similar to business meetings (held in conference rooms, for example).
Here’s what happens.
1) No one pays attention to anyone.
Every duck is looking in a different direction. Most don’t even appear to be part of the meeting. And none of them are watching the duck who is quacking. But they are all there because ducks have to know about everything that is happening in the park.
2) Ducks deliver lengthy monologues.
Expect to hear: “Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack. Quack.” Sure, this may last only half a minute but that’s a long time for a duck with an attention span of five seconds. It’s useful, however, because during this monologue the other ducks forget what they were going to say. So they begin quacking about something else.
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1) Ask everyone to arrive five to ten minutes early. This gives everyone time to socialize, obtain coffee, or organize materials before the meeting. It also ensures that everyone is present at the scheduled starting time. Make this part of the agenda.
2) Discuss sensitive issues with the key participants before the meeting. Use this as an opportunity to listen and gather information on the issues. From this you will understand the different views, needs, and histories. This information can help you prepare the agenda and conduct the meeting. In addition, you may be able to facilitate solutions or strategies for solutions before the meeting. In either case, the result will be a more efficient meeting.
3) Plan small meetings that focus on a single issue. People work more effectively over short periods of time (such as 45 minutes). This also allows you to match experts with issues for more productive meetings.
4) Only invite those who can contribute to at least 50% of the items on the agenda. For meetings lasting more than 30 minutes, invite special participants only to the part of the meeting that deals with their contribution.
5) Send copies of the minutes to everyone who could have been invited for informational purposes. They can read the minutes in a small fraction of the time that they would have been spent in the meeting.
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Here are ten things that you can do to make your meetings more effective.
1) Avoid meetings. Test the importance of a meeting by asking, “What happens without it?” If your answer is, “Nothing,” then don’t call the meeting.
2) Prepare goals. These are the results you want to obtain by the end of the meeting. Write out your goals before the meetings. They should be so clear, complete, and specific that someone else could use them to lead your meeting. Also, make sure they can be achieved with available people, resources, and time. Specific goals help everyone make efficient progress toward relevant results.
3) Challenge each goal. Ask, “Is there another way to achieve this?” For example, if you want to distribute information, you may find it more efficient to phone, FAX, mail, E-mail, or visit. Realize that a meeting is a team activity. Save tasks that require a team effort for your meetings.
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