4 ms·

6-12 people isn't a meeting, it's a presentation. At that size not everyone can contribute and most people probably don't need to be there. Meetings of that siz

6-12 people isn't a meeting, it's a presentation. At that size not everyone can contribute and most people probably don't need to be there. Meetings of that size are generally either "update the boss" meetings where everyone goes one by one and says what they have been doing. These are a terrible waste of everybody's time, EXCEPT for the boss and so can sometimes be justified. Or they are presentations from one person to the group. If you find there is no interaction or feedback from the rest of the people in your presentation, it is probably either a bad presentation or you are presenting to people who don't want or need to be there.

pc86 4y ago
I really think this is a backwards way to look at it. Work typically happens in an organization, and in organizations you don't always do the most optimal thing for yourself as an individual. I know everyone on HN would love it if they just got a steady stream of tickets into their inbox, never had a meeting about anything ever, and only interacted with git and HN. But that's not how the world works. Being attentive and engaged for 30 minutes while you get information that may very well make your job easier is not a big ask. I love love love working from home full-time but this is my chief complaint about it - before COVID (at least in the smaller places I worked), if you brought your laptop into a meeting, spent the entire time typing, and didn't engage anyone, you'd probably get either a warning or it would be your last meeting. It forced people to actually pay attention and not just pretend like they were, or at the very least risk getting called out for it. And while 12 is certainly pushing it, I've definitely been in productive working meetings with 6-8 people where all have been contributing.
- randomdata 4y ago
  Having worked from home for 20 years now, before COVID people were more careful to work within the medium (at least in the places I worked). Someone blissfully playing on their laptop ignoring what's going on around them was never an issue as you would never be put in that situation to begin with. Since 2020, it seems everyone wants to carbon copy the office at home. I expect because they haven't (yet) developed WFH skills, which is understandable, especially in organizations that were abruptly thrusted into the home without experienced leadership to guide those unfamiliar with the environment along.
rad_gruchalski 4y ago
An alternative is to target your presentation at the people who will be in the room and prepare a bunch relevant questions/anecdotes/start a discussion with a couple of people you know will participate. As in—know your audience. This usually relaxes everyone and kicks off the interaction. My experience is that nobody wants to ask the first question because it sets the bar. But that doesn’t mean nobody wants to participate.

pc86 4y ago

I really think this is a backwards way to look at it. Work typically happens in an organization, and in organizations you don't always do the most optimal thing for yourself as an individual. I know everyone on HN would love it if they just got a steady stream of tickets into their inbox, never had a meeting about anything ever, and only interacted with git and HN. But that's not how the world works. Being attentive and engaged for 30 minutes while you get information that may very well make your job easier is not a big ask. I love love love working from home full-time but this is my chief complaint about it - before COVID (at least in the smaller places I worked), if you brought your laptop into a meeting, spent the entire time typing, and didn't engage anyone, you'd probably get either a warning or it would be your last meeting. It forced people to actually pay attention and not just pretend like they were, or at the very least risk getting called out for it. And while 12 is certainly pushing it, I've definitely been in productive working meetings with 6-8 people where all have been contributing.

randomdata 4y ago
Having worked from home for 20 years now, before COVID people were more careful to work within the medium (at least in the places I worked). Someone blissfully playing on their laptop ignoring what's going on around them was never an issue as you would never be put in that situation to begin with. Since 2020, it seems everyone wants to carbon copy the office at home. I expect because they haven't (yet) developed WFH skills, which is understandable, especially in organizations that were abruptly thrusted into the home without experienced leadership to guide those unfamiliar with the environment along.

rad_gruchalski 4y ago

An alternative is to target your presentation at the people who will be in the room and prepare a bunch relevant questions/anecdotes/start a discussion with a couple of people you know will participate. As in—know your audience. This usually relaxes everyone and kicks off the interaction. My experience is that nobody wants to ask the first question because it sets the bar. But that doesn’t mean nobody wants to participate.