Einstein's Mother At Your Meeting

Real Questions for Real Meetings

Bored at meetings?

Here’s a challenge for you. Count the number of questions that are asked around the table. Divide the questions into three categories:

1. The grade six grammar “open probes”, starting with the W’s
2. The questions that end in “yes” or “no” answers
3. And the summary type questions, such as “so what you’re saying is....?”

If you’d like to be even more ambitious, record who asked the question. Did everyone have a turn? Who took over the meeting? How meaningful were the questions in moving the dialogue forward to an end result?

My point is, meetings cost money. A lot of money. Add up the salaries of everyone at the table, the cost of the room, the coffees and lunches, the mileage and even the time it takes to write and distribute agendas and reports. Is this investment worth the result?

If you’re already thinking, “No, it’s a simple waste of time”, then you might consider the role of questions in transforming the essence of your meeting.
At times, the obvious question just needs to be asked. Typically, decision making is based on assumptions. Assumptions can lead to flawed solutions. Questions clarify. A good example is Lois Lane, who never did ask Superman if he knew Clark Kent.

Apparently, Albert Einstein’s mother Pauline asked her little dyslexic genius, “What good questions did you ask today?”. She’s the kind of meeting participant I’d like to have at the next strategic planning event.

Questions, carefully designed, can bring out the best in people. Questions are at the heart of employee engagement: commitment, truth, integrity and innovation. They are the foundation of dialogue, especially when they are aimed at gathering more information.

Try “Tell me about...” as a substitute for “who, what, when, where, how”. Eliminate “why”. Why? People get defensive instantly.

If your organization is considering the cost of coffee as a potential budget item to eliminate, there’s a better solution.

Look to the structure and dynamics of your meetings, specifically how your conversations happen. Who is asking what?

Ask each other what’s important, and better still, what’s most important? The right questions will lead to the right people, making the right decisions, for the right reasons, at the right time. Albert Einstein’s mother seemed to be onto something, didn’t she!

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Maggie Chicoine is a Master Coach, experienced facilitator and professional writer. She can help you to design meetings that are effective, efficient and fun. She guarantees that no one sleeps! Follow Maggie on Twitter @ ideasculptor.

The Tuesday File appears in LakeSuperiorNews.com weekly. Reach her at 1 800 587 1767 or www.theideasculptor.com