Get on with the work…
In which participant introductions suck the energy out of the session
As a consultant, we are often asked to introduce ourselves at the start of conference or workshop. It is part of the deal to demonstrate who we are and our credibility before we get on with the work in hand. So we are very fast at this. One or two quick slides and we are done and ready to get moving. Senior people appreciate our brevity. They also don’t need to know our views on what we think we are like to work with. We don’t go on about our style and approach. They will experience that fast enough.
By contrast, I have noticed a trend on many of the Zoom meetings I go to where you have 20 or so people on a screen and the host then invites people to say something by way of introduction or something interesting about themselves. The first person asked takes this as an opportunity to give a brief summary of their life story and to explain their love of pets and furry animals. They go on to build a comprehensive picture of why they are there and what they hope to get from the meeting. This theme is then picked up by the next person who copies the level of detail. Before you know it, everyone is taking five minutes each and time marches on.
These introductions go on so long that recently, we were recently asked if we would like a comfort break before moving on to the main point of the meeting!
What we have is a classic dilemma in which the host means well, each person joins in but many would just rather hurry up and get on with whatever needs to be discussed.
So if you are facilitating a meeting on Zoom (or other platform of course) be more creative with how you do this and faster. It should take less than 10 minutes to introduce everyone (no matter how many people). Use the chat boxes, break into smaller groups, really be sharp on how you time-bound people.
If you are in the room with people, again be very succinct. All you need is a couple of key points and maybe a list of clients. And then get on with the work, the discussions and focus. Allow the discussions and interactions from the meeting to allow people to interact and learn and be wary of long and dull introduction sessions that suck the energy from the session before you begin.