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Message from Rutherford Hall Archives, Critical Communication Strategists
Whatsapp to Stephen: That meeting was awful. Staff were on the phone at various points in the session. I’m sure Alice was playing Candy Crush while I was talking. Her eyes were down the entire session. And people text each other to Snark about the person they are talking to. This is meant to be our hive mind meeting and it feels like half of our team is always somewhere else. The only topic is people’s mobile phones.
From:rutherford@monkwellstrategy.com
To: all@monkwellstrategy.com
I’m not sure if I saw the latest notes from Jamie Dimon on JPMorgan Chase. It’s full of great insights. But there’s one thing he said he wanted to emphasize to all his staff. His comments are using his phone to text, email, or read social media during meetings. Wasting time, like Jamie says this is “disrespectful” and “have to stop.”
We all know we are juggling multiple pressures about our time. But when we meet for a meeting, we all need to have in mind as much as our bodies. Someone has gone into some trouble due to the meeting, or we are pooling collective brain power. Either way, you take your attention from everyone else.
The outcome of Jamie’s message is that at least everyone knows that they won’t do that in a meeting with him. Doing it to Jamie is worse than rude. That’s a career limitation. Now at the meeting, consider me (and of course Stephen) as Monkwell’s dimensions. We are in communication, so please communicate your engagement. Visible signs of boredom are remembered during evaluation season.
Let’s do it like Dimon. Phone down; I’m back in my room.
Rutherford.
Strava, Comcidenham Hill, Brighton 3 hours 04m from London, Aljubailer/Bodaloop – 42 minutes
Whatsapp to Stephen: Yes, I accept that some meetings are more important than others. What I am chairing is more important than others.
Stephen from Whatsapp: No, it doesn’t depend on meetings. This is about the best use of manners and time.
Whatsapp to Stephen: So you say some meetings aren’t that useful. Is using them to answer texts a more productive time use?
Whatsapp to Stephen: Well, they have to be your meeting, buddies.
Whatsapp to Stephen: Do people play Rutherford bingo at my meeting? What is Rutherford Bingo? When I was working at No. 10, I learned to keep meetings short and sharp. This is a dynamic sprint away from the Peloton.
Whatsapp to Stephen: What does “it’s bingo” mean?
whatsapp to Alice: Where were you? Did you text two hours ago?
whatsapp to Alice: Ah, ho. You were at a meeting and didn’t want to downplay your clients!
From:rutherford@monkwellstrategy.com
To: all@monkwellstrategy.com
got it. You can hear the text from the meeting. I agree that it needs to be available to clients, but it needs to be balanced. So I decided to make this easy for everyone. To help you keep everyone in mind, our meetings are now a call-free event. Leave your mobile on the desk. Exceptions are made only if a highly urgent message is agreed in advance. Rutherford.
Stephen from Whatsapp: Yes, all meetings.
Whatsapp to Stephen: How can I do it? If you say that only some events are no phone meetings, what is it saying about the value of others? It would be better to look more proactively at meetings.
whatsapp to All@Monkwell: OK, quick, standing on the phone with meeting issues in my office in 15 minutes.
WhatsApp to all @Monkwell: You’ll see how to get through this. Create guidance to set up new best practices to ensure more effective meetings.
whatsapp to All@Monkwell: No, obviously, I won’t get a view to meet you all. If you want to add anything, please send me an email.
From:rutherford@monkwellstrategy.com
To: all@monkwellstrategy.com
The new meeting strategy is:
The meeting should ideally be no more than five people.
They need a clear purpose and outcome/decision.
If you want to be on your mobile phone, why are you at this meeting?
Keep them short.
If everything is said, no one needs to say it.
Questions are the purpose of the meetings held twice every two weeks at 10am on Thursday (days and times are clearly illustrative). Many of these meetings exist too many to meander what has been achieved, what could be achieved, what could have been achieved, what could have been achieved, what it was not.
But we still hold all-hand high-bmind meetings every week. When we all share information and ideas, it’s important to be at once.
Meeting Bingo is currently a disciplinary crime.
Message retrieved by Robert Elimsley
