4 Distractions that Derail Meetings and How to Handle Them
Meetings are crucial in achieving goals by promoting unity, communication, planning, and alignment. However, poorly conducted meetings hurt team performance, cohesion, and goal attainment. Research has indicated that dysfunctional behaviors during meetings, such as complaining and making assumptions, can lead to lower market share, reduced innovation, and decreased employee engagement. Four common dysfunctional behaviors, summarized by the acronym GAAS, can derail meetings: gravity problems, assumption overload, annoying negative thoughts (ANTs), and squirrel chasing.
Gravity problems occur when teams focus on unsolvable issues instead of solvable ones, diverting time and motivation. Assumption overload involves making excessive and unverified assumptions, leading to decisions based on incomplete or inaccurate information. ANTs refer to unproductive thinking patterns like all-or-nothing, overgeneralization, catastrophizing, and emotional reasoning, which hinder productive discussions. Squirrel chasing happens when participants introduce unrelated tangents, derailing the meeting’s purpose. To prevent these behaviors, organizers should enhance meeting focus by determining the primary objective, reframing goals as inquiry-driven statements, and inviting relevant team members. Clear communication regarding the meeting’s importance, relevance, and participants’ involvement is crucial. When these behaviors arise, organizers can address them by recognizing and naming them, using humor to create a positive atmosphere, and keeping the meeting on track. Understanding, preventing, and addressing GAAS behaviors will improve meeting productivity and contribute to overall goal achievement.
4 Distractions that Derail Meetings and How to Handle Them (Velasquez, HBR, 5/19).
