This may be a mistake to admit, but I sometimes sit in large group meetings and rather than pay attention to what is being said, I find myself marveling at the cult of personalities. What do I mean by that? Well, it seems that in every meeting there are definite types.
The "shrinking violet" - the one that wishes no one could see them and if they could crawl into a corner they would. They're the equivalent to the kid that would sweat bullets when the teacher called on them in class. Obviously, they generally add very little value to the meeting, unless they are smart enough to be note takers...which is the dream role of a "shrinking violet."
The "distracter" - the person that only contributes information that has absolutely no worth whatsoever. It's like they can't help but spout out the most bizarre and pointless statements...only adding to the already longer than necessary meeting.
The "jokester" - the name sort of tells it all, but this person can't help but make self-deprecating jokes in order to ingratiate themselves to the group. Sometimes this works but often it's just distracting and sometimes a little sad. If a "distracter" and a "jokester" are in the same meeting, you might as well just resign yourself to a marathon of a meeting where, unsurprisingly enough, not much has been accomplished.
The "over contributor" - this person seems to LOVE the sound of his or her own voice. They can't miss an opportunity to share their point of view with anyone and everyone that will listen. This person LIVES for meetings. Often they withhold information just so they can set a meeting so everyone can hear how brilliant they are. Meetings are this person's favorite time during the work week.
The "conductor" - this person desperately wants to keep the meeting on track and you will hear constant sighs or see frequent thinly disguised eye rolls whenever a "distracter" or "jokester" speaks. If this person can somehow rein everyone in and get the meeting down to under one hour, they will feel like they've just ran a marathon and came out on top. A well-run, and succinct meeting will make this person's day.
The "idea killer" (also known as a buzz kill) - this is the person that gets great joy out of bashing others ideas, but often has nothing to add in return. They just like the word "no" or the phrase "won't work." They are meeting bullies. Beware, they are not fun to have around. Creativity is the first to go when they arrive. If there's an "over contributer" and an "idea killer" in the same meeting, there might be blood.
Now don't get me wrong, there are several types of people that are great in meetings, such as the "idea champion", someone who finds possibility in most ideas contributed. But these folks are just not as much fun to blog about.
Now, go enjoy that meeting you have in 5 minutes.
The "shrinking violet" - the one that wishes no one could see them and if they could crawl into a corner they would. They're the equivalent to the kid that would sweat bullets when the teacher called on them in class. Obviously, they generally add very little value to the meeting, unless they are smart enough to be note takers...which is the dream role of a "shrinking violet."
The "distracter" - the person that only contributes information that has absolutely no worth whatsoever. It's like they can't help but spout out the most bizarre and pointless statements...only adding to the already longer than necessary meeting.
The "jokester" - the name sort of tells it all, but this person can't help but make self-deprecating jokes in order to ingratiate themselves to the group. Sometimes this works but often it's just distracting and sometimes a little sad. If a "distracter" and a "jokester" are in the same meeting, you might as well just resign yourself to a marathon of a meeting where, unsurprisingly enough, not much has been accomplished.
The "over contributor" - this person seems to LOVE the sound of his or her own voice. They can't miss an opportunity to share their point of view with anyone and everyone that will listen. This person LIVES for meetings. Often they withhold information just so they can set a meeting so everyone can hear how brilliant they are. Meetings are this person's favorite time during the work week.
The "conductor" - this person desperately wants to keep the meeting on track and you will hear constant sighs or see frequent thinly disguised eye rolls whenever a "distracter" or "jokester" speaks. If this person can somehow rein everyone in and get the meeting down to under one hour, they will feel like they've just ran a marathon and came out on top. A well-run, and succinct meeting will make this person's day.
The "idea killer" (also known as a buzz kill) - this is the person that gets great joy out of bashing others ideas, but often has nothing to add in return. They just like the word "no" or the phrase "won't work." They are meeting bullies. Beware, they are not fun to have around. Creativity is the first to go when they arrive. If there's an "over contributer" and an "idea killer" in the same meeting, there might be blood.
Now don't get me wrong, there are several types of people that are great in meetings, such as the "idea champion", someone who finds possibility in most ideas contributed. But these folks are just not as much fun to blog about.
Now, go enjoy that meeting you have in 5 minutes.
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