It can be frustrating when you don’t get the right reception during a meeting. You prepare the agenda, and your employees ignore your ideas. They might be physically present, but their minds are elsewhere. It’s important to know why they feel that way. Here’s why some employees aren’t in the mood to listen during the meeting.
You didn’t set the meeting days ahead.
If you want your employees to be more responsive during the meeting, ensure they’re aware of it days ahead. You can’t announce the meeting at the last minute and expect them to respond well. They also have other tasks to finish. It’s even worse if you require everyone to stay beyond work hours to get the job done. No one will feel good about your decision.
It takes too long
Before calling for a meeting, determine if it’s better to send an email or talk to a few people. Don’t call for a general meeting when the information doesn’t concern the larger group of employees. The meeting might go on forever, and employees hate it. They don’t want to sit and listen to you as you keep talking about things they have no interest in. If you decide to call for a meeting, keep it short.
You usually don’t prepare what to say.
Some meetings can feel chaotic, mostly because of your lack of preparation. Before entering the meeting room, you should have the right words. Prepare slides as visual aids. You can also invest in a projector ceiling mount to support your audio-visual equipment and make your presentation easier to visualize. It will also make your presentation more interesting and easier to understand. It can be boring and confusing when you keep going to different places while talking to your employees. Others will tune you out and ask someone else to explain things later.
You don’t give people a chance to speak.
These meetings aren’t for you to keep talking. You should allow everyone to speak. Your employees must have input if you present new ideas or visions for the company. But, again, it can be off-putting if you’re the only person talking. If you’ve already decided, there’s no point in staying for the meeting. You should disseminate the details via email later.
You’re rude
Just because you lead the company doesn’t mean you’re the smartest person in the room. It also doesn’t mean everyone else has terrible ideas. Don’t be rude when dealing with employees. They might also have brilliant ideas to boost the concepts formed before the meeting. Don’t limit the brainstorming process among the members of the management team. You’re losing an excellent opportunity if you don’t let your employees speak.
After understanding these reasons, it’s time to improve your meetings. If not, cancel the meeting altogether. Set it at a later time when everyone benefits from it. Consult with your employees to know what other reasons they have for ignoring you during the meeting. It’s better to ask questions and face the truth than lead the meeting blindly.
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