Meetings. The word can solicit strong feelings about their value and level of effectiveness. Regardless of how you feel about them, meetings are an essential part of most organizations. Many of us practice the standard guidelines for creating a good meeting: creating a clear agenda/meeting objective, keeping time, recapping action items, inviting the right people, etc.
So how can meetings be more engaging and productive? What’s missing?
Knowing your audience’s personality style is often the missing piece.
A personality assessment like EverythingDiSC® can help bridge the gap between employees and optimal workplace communication. For example:
- Consider that D-styles prefer meetings with minimal small talk and an agenda that everyone sticks to.
- Allow i-styles to flourish by allowing them to express personal opinions and have open discussions with others.
- To ensure S-styles feel comfortable, provide them with your meeting’s outline or agenda in advance so they can prepare.
- Remember that C-styles don’t do well with making big decisions when they feel rushed or pressured.
These are some of the elements of how knowing your communication style and that of your other meeting participants can make for more effective meetings.
-Adapted from EverythingDiSC® blog July 11, 2019