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What if you have a question for a group of people? When domain experts are in the same room and debating the merits of a decision the results are almost always

What if you have a question for a group of people? When domain experts are in the same room and debating the merits of a decision the results are almost always immensely valuable.

maxxxxx 9y ago
"What if you have a question for a group of people? When domain experts are in the same room and debating the merits of a decision the results are almost always immensely valuable." I have seen this kind of debate almost only at spontaneous meetings. In scheduled meetings I almost never see a good discussion. Sending out a group E-mail to start a debate seems preferable to me.
- slededit 9y ago
  In my experience they tend to be best when an email discussion has come to no clear consensus. Or when I know a change will be controversial.
  - Consultant32452 9y ago
    This is a case where it's important to know your department and how they communicate. Some people, like myself, will almost never respond to those big email chains. In fact, if I don't see my name being called out at a quick glance, I probably won't even read enough content to know a conversation/debate is going on. As a leader myself, I try to be cognizant of this and reach out to employees in the way that they're most comfortable communicating for important decisions. Sometimes that's email, sometimes that's IM, sometimes that's a phone call or face to face communication. It's almost never a meeting though.
    - slededit 9y ago
      If that's the norm at your organization then it works out. However in general wherever I've worked if you can't be bothered to say something people won't seek your advice unless you are the known expert in the specific subject. However getting to that level of prestige takes a lot of time and effort - Usually by being helpful on those long email chains.
tboyd47 9y ago
It's hard to imagine a scenario in business where this is the case. I think in most cases the "question for a group of people" is a sign you really don't know who is responsible for making a decision, or perhaps that person is you and you just don't realize it yet. To me anyway, calling a lot of meetings is a sign of desperation in a business setting, especially if that person is a manager. The person is so lost that they feel they need to be in the room for every important conversation.

What if you have a question for a group of people? When domain experts are in the same room and debating the merits of a decision the results are almost always immensely valuable.

maxxxxx 9y ago

"What if you have a question for a group of people? When domain experts are in the same room and debating the merits of a decision the results are almost always immensely valuable." I have seen this kind of debate almost only at spontaneous meetings. In scheduled meetings I almost never see a good discussion. Sending out a group E-mail to start a debate seems preferable to me.

slededit 9y ago
In my experience they tend to be best when an email discussion has come to no clear consensus. Or when I know a change will be controversial.
- Consultant32452 9y ago
  This is a case where it's important to know your department and how they communicate. Some people, like myself, will almost never respond to those big email chains. In fact, if I don't see my name being called out at a quick glance, I probably won't even read enough content to know a conversation/debate is going on. As a leader myself, I try to be cognizant of this and reach out to employees in the way that they're most comfortable communicating for important decisions. Sometimes that's email, sometimes that's IM, sometimes that's a phone call or face to face communication. It's almost never a meeting though.
  - slededit 9y ago
    If that's the norm at your organization then it works out. However in general wherever I've worked if you can't be bothered to say something people won't seek your advice unless you are the known expert in the specific subject. However getting to that level of prestige takes a lot of time and effort - Usually by being helpful on those long email chains.

tboyd47 9y ago

It's hard to imagine a scenario in business where this is the case. I think in most cases the "question for a group of people" is a sign you really don't know who is responsible for making a decision, or perhaps that person is you and you just don't realize it yet. To me anyway, calling a lot of meetings is a sign of desperation in a business setting, especially if that person is a manager. The person is so lost that they feel they need to be in the room for every important conversation.