Make Virtual Meetings Matter: How to Turn Virtual Meetings from Status Updates to Remarkable Conversations

By Paul Axtell

Meetings should matter. Even and especially when those meetings are taking place online.

No one wants to be called in for a meeting that could've been an email. No one wants to sit in a meeting where everyone's distracted by whatever else is happening on their screen, everyone is lost in the weeds, or people continue talking over each other. If you're going to attend or lead a meeting, don't you want it to…well, matter?

An update to the original "Make Meetings Matter", this work is tailor made to help consumers get the most from every meeting — virtually! Meetings are a chance to initiate a conversation with your teammates. Not simply check a box on an agenda. You can foster new relationships with your coworkers, and learn from their new ideas and perspectives.

So why do so many people dread meetings? Because they're doing them all wrong.

Change the way people think about meetings. Transform their opinions by holding a meeting that is efficient and productive, that is open and communicative, that is useful and important.

Paul Axtell affirms the importance of meetings, and he redesigns them using the vital foundation of conversation. With real—life examples and actionable advice, he shows you how to design meetings for results, lead them to achieve agendas that move projects forward, and even allow time for building the relationships that make working together in a remarkable way possible. Based on his award winning efficiency training title "Make Meetings Matter" and updated for the virtual meeting experience, this book will revolutionize the meeting—moving it from that dreaded obligation to a powerful way to get things done in business and in life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Jun 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728235684

Paul Axtell

PAUL AXTELL provides consulting and personal effectiveness training to a wide variety of clients, from Fortune 500 companies and universities to nonprofit organizations and government agencies. A large focus of his work is how to run effective and productive meetings - to turn them from the calendar items people dread into useful, productive sessions with measurable results. Paul is the author of 10 Powerful Things to Say to Your Kids, Meetings Matter: 8 Powerful Strategies for Remarkable Conversations, Make Meetings Matter (Ignite Reads), and Compassionate Leadership (Ignite Reads). Find meeting and leadership tips in Paul's blog posts>>

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Copyright © 2015, 2020 by Paul Axtell

Cover and internal design © 2020 by Sourcebooks

Cover design by Jackie Cummings

Cover images © iNueng/Getty

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This edition is based on Make Meetings Matter, originally published in 2020 in the United States of America by Simple Truths, an imprint of Sourcebooks.

Contents

Front Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Preface

Virtual Meetings: A New Skill to Master

Introduction

Chapter 1: Choose the Perspective: This Matters

Chapter 2: Master Effective Conversation

Chapter 3: Create Supportive Relationships

Chapter 4: Decide What Matters and Who Cares

Chapter 5: Design Each Conversation

Chapter 6: Lead Meetings Like a Pro

Chapter 7: Participate to Have Impact

Chapter 8: Dealing with Ineffective Behavior in Meetings

Conclusion

Get Started

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Back Cover

For Amy, Jesse, and Cindy.

I wrote this book for everyone who wants to be really good, for everyone who wants their organization to be successful, and especially for those who have endured countless meetings wishing they would be better and not quite sure what to do about them.

You and your meetings can be beyond good.

Preface

This book is about getting twenty people in a meeting, whether virtual or in person, to feel like five friends having a conversation over coffee. Not easy, but doable.

As a manager, would it make a difference if employees looked forward to your meetings? As an individual, would it help if you knew that every meeting on your schedule this week would add momentum to your priorities and projects?

Meetings are a competitive edge for every organization that gets them right. And for individuals, the ability to lead and participate effectively in meetings is at the heart of having influence in an organization.

Like anything worthy of mastery, it takes patience, persistence, and practice to take your meetings from ordinary to extraordinary. But it will not take years. Choosing a single thing to focus on in your next five to ten meetings will produce immediate change. This book sets you on the right trajectory. In three months, your meetings can be dramatically different.

Virtual Meetings: A New Skill to Master

Passion, drive, and knowledge will not set you apart. The ability to convene a small group of people in a meeting and make progress afterward will.

—Paul Axtell

I remember working with a leadership team in Brazil for four days. At one point, they asked if I could help them with their virtual communications since they only got together physically twice a year. I then asked them to conduct a two-hour meeting so I could observe. At the end, I told them they had no chance virtually because they were awful when they were in the same room! We were close friends at that point, so everyone laughed and agreed with me. Virtual meetings require the same foundational meeting practices and skills as in-person meetings, but take more time and intention.

Can virtual meetings ever be as good as face-to-face meetings? Yes, or at least very close. We can compare it to theater or sporting events: watching on television isn’t quite the same experience as being in the audience or in the stands. But the convenience of television is obvious, and instant replay is amazing. Working remotely offers clear benefits for both individuals and organizations, and there will be other benefits that occur over time—some we can’t even imagine.

Progress on goals, initiatives, and projects may actually be enhanced by virtual meetings if the conversations are more focused and stay on track. What I’m more concerned about is our ability to build relationships and allow people to feel connected to each other and the organization when meetings happen online rather than in person.

Clearly attention, listening, connection, and empathy occur more easily when we are in the same physical space. As the technology and our capacity to be authentic and expressive expand, however, meeting virtually might be really, really close to being in the same room. The best individuals and managers will figure out how to make it work.

Through the Q & A