We spend more of our working time in meetings than virtually anywhere else. And the more senior we are, the more we spend our time in communicating with others. So it is important to make it efficient.If it is not efficient, we create issues for ourselves in one of two ways. Either we are less effective than we might be (and to sustain our performance we have to make it up elsewhere). Or the meeting extends and eats into the time we need to spend doing other things.
Meeting timers support efficiency
It is not uncommon for meetings to overrun, either within themselves or overall. In either case, the overrun creates pressure and inefficiency elsewhere. Either for later agenda items, or for subsequent meetings.The reason these overruns occur is largely because individuals fail to manage their time and contributions within the meeting.
Very few people when they are engrossed in a task are good at judging the passage of time. So the absence of a prominent clock (particularly true of virtual meetings) makes managing time more difficult.
The inclusion of visible countdown timers within meetings can therefore have a very positive impact on efficiency. And for the following reasons. It …:- says that time is important to us
- establishes expectations
- indicates when we need to bring things to a close and be more succinct in our contributions
- establishes a responsibility for not just the content, but also the process of the meeting
- makes us more aware of where we are losing time when it happens
- provides data which informs our thinking about how to improve
- acknowledges the time being invested by the participants
- and it helps build trust that we will respect that time
But, with it now being so easy to include timers in your meeting. What might it say, what messages might it give, if you don’t include a clock or a timer? The converse?
But don’t we need flexibility?
The counter argument runs that the use of countdown timers means that there is less banter. less of the free conversation that is key to building relationships. And that relationship building, particularly as we work remotely, is really important.
And it is true, it is really important. But it is not true that countdown timers suppress it.
It is overrunning meetings, and the pressure that places on later meetings. The resulting rush and the busyness. That is what suppresses friendly chat.
And it is actually rare that friendly chat causes the overruns. The problem is usually in poorly planned contributions, not listening, the desire to be heard and sounding off. It is often the contributions and conversations that most risk undermining relationships. Or the ones that cause people to zone out. They are usually the ones which take up the extra time.
The conversations that initiate and sustain relationships are extremely important. And we need to make time for them. Timers can help us to protect that time. To ensure that time does not get squeezed out by inefficiencies elsewhere. And the meta-perspective they bring can also help us limit those conversations that are having a negative effect.
Meeting Timers and the feel of a meeting
Efficiency may be the biggest reason for including countdown timers in your meeting. But it is not the only reason. Meeting timers can also be used to:
- Help ensure focus on the topic being addressed
- Raise the energy of meeting activities to complete things in a focused allocation of time
- Provide balance. Not only between different topics in a meeting. But also between the contributions of different participants. Timers can help to push back against domination of the airways by a limited subset of participants.
- Cascade responsibility for time down into breakout groups
- Prototype thinking and decision making in rapid cycles, that can then be tested and reworked
- Use speed to suspend self-filtering, and thereby reveal more creative input
Where to get Meeting Timers
It has never been easier to include a countdown timer in your meeting. To demonstrate this fact, click the timer on the right and see it open up in its own window that you can overlay on a shared screen. Or right-click it, select ‘copy-image’, and then paste it directly into a PowerPoint slide.Or take a look at the wide range of other free timers available and the places they can be used on the Timers page. And while you are at it, you might be interested in a virtual flipchart for your next meeting also?
Track your progress to ensure the efficacy of this strategy.