Meeting Tokens, for creating time scarcity
Submitted by Merlin on October 19, 2007 - 8:16am.
My pal, Mike Monteiro, is making good on his idea to try giving his team Meeting Tokens.
Previously mentioned in this post about re-creating scarcity and, in more detail, in my IDEO talk.
Can’t wait to hear how it goes. I love me some scarcity.
Update, 2007-10-19 10:18 PT: Mike says he’s going to produce these as handsome wooden tokens that will soon be available for sale in sets on the Mule Feed Store.
Update 2007-10-20 14:52 PT: Mike adds “The Red Merlin” to the mix.
Each bag of meeting tokens will include ONE Red Merlin. It’s up to you to decide how it gets in someone’s hands.
Playing the Red Merlin ends ANY meeting on the spot. No questions. (Beware of retaliation though; play it to make allies, not to make enemies.)
I’m honored.
- Merlin's blog
- 17250 reads
Can scarcity teach meeting skills?
The fatwa aside, this is a nice idea but I wonder if it’s enough. What if meetings are shorter but just as ineffective? People generally have no idea how they are being perceived by others, which is one reason that videotaped job interview practice can be effective. Feedback on meetings needs to be part of a meeting.
My wife has a manager who mumbles for two hours and still doesn’t cover the agenda. He’s defensive and squashes dissent. His problems are more than meeting skills but neutral feedback on his meetings would be a good start. Two hours?–most people stop focusing after around 45 minutes at the most.
Ideas: a meeting cop–someone from another department not involved in the actual agenda–sits through the meeting and gives 5 minutes of (private) feedback?
Audience feedback, indicating when the meeting convener has overstayed his welcome. Something visual, like turning a cup upside down. When all the cups are upside down, you’ve blown it.