Finally! Harvard researchers have discovered the No. 1 cause of people falling asleep in meetings.
OK, so that might be overstating the case a bit — but Peter Bregman, writing on the Harvard Business Review blog, recently pinpointed what he thinks is the biggest reason most meetings are a waste of time:
The PowerPoint presentation.
“PowerPoint presentations inevitably end up as monologues,” writes Bregman. “They focus on answers, and everyone faces the screen. But meetings should be conversations. They should focus on questions, not answers, and people should face each other.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve found that even the hum of the projector discourages dialogue.”
His answer?
“Instead of having executives prepare clear, well-thought-out (and boring) PowerPoint presentations about their own businesses, try having them lead informal discussions about their colleagues’ businesses, using flip charts to collect important points, draw conclusions, and agree on action plans with owners and timelines.”
Food for thought. To read Bregman’s full post, go here.
