I sure did learn something

I have now been OFFICIALLY TRAINED in how to lead meetings. Except don’t call it leading, because the “lead” doesn’t do that part. That’s the facilitator’s job!

The common thread of the training was using words that already exist to mean something else. Like, apparently we address “tensions” now? But don’t think that means something causing tension; it’s really more like a suggestion or a proposal. (Here’s a thought — why not just call it that?)

I was genuinely confused by the end of the training — at what point of the meeting are we supposed to actually go over the agenda? There was a step for adding things to the agenda, but no step for actually talking about it.

(Oh yes, and meetings have 10 steps, now. Unless there are no tensions, and then there’s only 5. WHAT.)

My prediction is that this “new system” will go the way of the last brilliant meeting innovation (each day of the week was dedicated to a specific type of meeting) — it will stick around for a few months until everyone agrees that no one is actually following it, and then disappear forever, never to be spoken of again.

(I also predict that when it IS enforced, people will play along in the conference room, and then go have the real meeting in the hallway or at their desks afterwards. Which is, somewhat humorously, exactly what the system is meant to eliminate.)

Mirrored from The Marci Rating System.