Tip of the Month #1 - Observe with a Clinical Eye: What Would a Video Camera See?

© John Monroe 2011

Observe a meeting that you attend or chair with a dispassionate, clinical eye. Consider what a video camera would record. How many people are engaged, attentive, making eye contact and smiling? How many are slumped back, distracted and glum? What can you learn from what you see? What concerns you? What good signs do you see?

Why is the first step I recommend a step back? Because it is important to learn how well you are able to detach and simply observe. Are you able to set aside your reactions and preferences to view impartially what is happening? Can you turn off your filters so the good, the bad and the ugly shine through? I have to admit, this is not the way my personality prefers to work, so it takes a conscious effort.

When I facilitate a difficult meeting well, it’s because I keep my eyes and my mind open enough to see “just the facts, Ma’am” (as Joe Friday used to say). If I look for what I want or hope to see, my actions fall out of sync with the meeting I'm in at that moment.

People ask, John, how did you know we needed to move faster (or slow down, or take a break) at that moment? I reply that a roomful of audible and visual cues signaled the need to act, or not act. Your job as a facilitator or chair is to be keenly observant, not just riding along in the back seat staring out the window.

As you practice seeing like a video camera, take notes on what you see during part of a meeting, or even better, during an entire meeting. Watch and listen for:

Eye contact – Who’s making it and who is not? See any rolling eyes?

Posture – Are people slumped, leaning forward, attentively relaxed or fidgeting? Does posture change with agenda items, or as the meeting nears the end?

Breathing – See any sighs or yawns?

Speaking & Hearing – Do words reach everyone? Does anyone seem not to hear or comprehend? How much “space” is there between speakers…..time enough to breathe, or does one person cut off another?

As you put this to use, let me know what your video camera sees.

In upcoming editions of this blog, we’ll learn how to turn your observations into a power tool to manage meetings.