Would you like to have more power to lead the meetings you’re in? To take them from inefficient and frustrating to focused and engaging without being the meeting leader?
There’s one simple thing you can do to make this happen.
But, here’s the bad news.
You probably aren’t going to like it.
At least not until you read the rest of this post that is. Then I think you just might change your mind.
Bad Meetings
Have you ever been in a “bad” meeting whether it’s in person, on the phone, or over video?
Your answer may be something like, “As a matter of fact, I’m in the fourth bad meeting of the day right now. Save me!”
I know there are a million reasons you might describe a meeting as “bad”. I’m sure you have a list.
On the top of that list is probably something like this.
“We talk and we talk. The conversation drifts all over the place then starts to sound just like the discussion we had last week. Then, the meeting time is up and everyone rushes off to their next commitment. And, next week, we’ll have the exact same meeting again.”
Is that a “bad” meeting for you? A familiar meeting?
It certainly is for me.
So, what can you do to stop the waste of your time and your team’s time and avoid the frustration that goes along with it?
Here’s what I recommend.
And, I said above, you may not like what I suggest.
Be the note taker
What’s the secret to leading a meeting when you’re not the meeting leader?
Volunteer to take notes.
See why I said you weren’t going to like it?
Almost no one likes to be the scribe for a meeting, let alone a conference call.
Why is that?
Why we don’t like being the note taker
Well, for starters, you have to pay attention. Not just occasionally. But during the entire meeting.
Who wants to do that?
And, on top of that, you have to make sure you understand what was said so you can translate the myriad of spoken words into a clear, concise record of the discussion.
Don’t forget the gender dynamics that can be involved too.
The pattern of automatically assigning a woman to take notes during a meeting because of gender bias is still far too common in the workplace. This can cause some women to see the role as unimportant and resist volunteering for the task.
I get it. Being the note taker is not a role many team members volunteer for.
In fact, in most meetings no one takes notes.
The meeting leader doesn’t ask or assign someone to do it. And, of course, no one volunteers.
So, nothing is written down during or after the meeting (except a few scribbles and doodle images on your notebook, right?).
How does that typically turn out?
The results of a meeting without a note taker
A meeting without a note taker definitely generate results. Negative results.
Here are a few I can think of. I’m sure you can add more to the list.
Another meeting.
When nothing is recorded from a meeting, the odds are good that you are going to have another meeting. To discuss the same things. With those that were present at the first meeting. And some who weren’t. Who will need everything from the first meeting repeated for them.
I know you’ve been in that meeting.
The chances are also high that no notes will be taken in the second meeting either. So, yet another follow up meeting will be needed.
And the endless cycle of frustrating meetings continues.
Frustration
Meetings where great ideas are discussed but never recorded are frustrating.
They’re frustrating because great ideas captured only in conversations tend to evaporate with time. They drift away without being converted into actions.
Or, an even more frustrating scenario occurs. An idea is shared and it seems great at the time, but in reality it isn’t.
It’s easy to talk and talk and make something sound positive.
It’s only when someone puts those spoken words into print that the flaws in the argument are revealed and the true merit of an idea is seen.
Confusion
When a written record of a meeting is not created, the only documentation are the memories of the participants. And, very often those memories don’t match.
Confusion abounds when each person later remembers a decision or an assigned task differently.
I’ve experienced each one of these negative results of meetings without a note taker. You have too I expect.
If only there was a way to replace these negative results with positive ones.
But, wait. There is a way. It’s a solution we typically resist.
How we can make a bad meeting better
We can be the note taker.
Anyone can do the job if they’re willing. It doesn’t take special skills or unique talents. But it can have a big impact.
Think about the opportunity to lead your team by serving them in this role. This is a perfect example of leading even when we’re not the “leader”.
We can be the one who delivers positive results from what would otherwise be a waste of our team’s time.
I realize it’s natural to resist volunteering for the task of recording the notes from a meeting.
So, to help convince you (and myself) that it’s worth overcoming our hesitancy, let’s consider some of the positive benefits to being the meeting scribe.
These results are positive not only for our team but also for us personally.
The power of the pen (or the keyboard)
As the designated note taker for a meeting, you possess a tremendous amount of power to indirectly lead the meeting. Through this power you can strongly influence your team and your organization.
Here are just a few of the powers you have as the meeting scribe.
The power to lead by staying engaged
I’ll just start with the obvious.
If you’re the note taker, you need to be engaged during the entire meeting.
And, while it may seem attractive to zone out and play on your phone during the boring sections of a meeting, wouldn’t you much rather be actively engaged with the discussion?
Wouldn’t you really prefer to help turn a bad meeting into a good one instead of scrolling through your social media accounts and trying to stay awake?
The power to lead by interrupting
Have you ever been in a meeting and wanted to ask a clarifying question but didn’t feel like it was your place?
As the designated note taker for the meeting, you are authorized to stop the meeting at your discretion so you can do your job effectively.
By volunteering, you have gained a personal power you didn’t have before.
This statement works well for me.
“I apologize for interrupting here, but I need to ask a quick question to make sure I get this right in the notes.”
The power to lead by bringing clarity
I’ve been in countless meetings in which something was said and it just didn’t make any sense to me. And, I found out later, it didn’t make sense to anyone else either.
As the note taker, you can stop the confusing talk when you hear it and ask for clarity that will benefit the entire team.
Just use a statement like this.
“Would you clarify your last statement for me please? I didn’t understand it well enough to accurately record what you said.”
The power to lead by ensuring alignment
During most meetings, things are said and the participants assume everyone else is in agreement. But, this isn’t always true.
When taking notes, you can ensure alignment with this simple question.
“I noted what Judith said, but can I also record that everyone was in agreement? Does anyone disagree or have a different position?”
The power to lead by documenting decisions
We talked earlier about conflicting memories of what was decided during a meeting when no notes are taken. The note taker has the power to capture decisions so this doesn’t happen.
Use this statement to not only document a decision, but to also make sure decisions are being made during meetings.
“I think I just heard a decision in what we discussed. Did we actually decide on that and, if we did, would someone please repeat it for me? I will record it as a decision in the notes.”
The power to lead by ensuring actions are taken
Meetings that don’t result in actions typically aren’t very useful.
As the note taker, you can make every meeting you’re in more valuable by clarifying the specific actions with owners and completion dates.
See my post Ask “Who Needs to Do What by When?” Drive Results! for more on this topic.
The power to lead by not being perfect
Some people hesitate to be the note taker because they are afraid they will mess up. As a recovering perfectionist, I completely understand.
The truth is, however, when you volunteer to be the note taker when no one else will, your notes are the best in existence. You get the grand prize trophy for best notes of the meeting without a contest.
Everyone knows the value of meeting notes, but no one wants to create them.
You will rarely be criticized as the note taker in a meeting.
This is because everyone else knows you can simply and politely ask them this.
“I know I’m not the best at taking notes, would someone else like to take a turn?”
That question will quickly earn you the support of even your worst critics.
Some post-meeting work is required
I don’t want to mislead you. You will have to do some work that others won’t have to do after the meeting.
You’ll have to clean up your notes and distribute them.
But, I have found the post-meeting work actually benefits me.
I learn more about the topic of the meeting as I finalize my notes. I process more thoroughly what was said and understand it at a deeper level. Or, I realize I need to study something that’s not clear to me.
This note taking activity causes me to grow and develop even after the meeting is over.
Additionally, I often reach out to other team members to make sure I got a note recorded accurately. This solidifies existing relationships with my teammates and builds new connections.
Why not try out this power to lead?
With all these benefits are being the note taker, what are you waiting for?
Try volunteering for this important role and exercising your power to lead the meeting indirectly.
See if you can apply the many powers that come with the role to transform your next bad meeting into one with many positive outcomes.
Let’s lead with kindness and confidence.
Greg
Discussion Questions
- Do you serve as the note taker in your meetings? What positive results have you seen in this role?
- What prevents you from volunteering for the important role of meeting note taker?
I’m interested to hear your comments. Do you consider taking notes during a meeting an important role or is your position different than mine? Please share your experiences in the comments section so we can learn together.
