Isn't Facebook swell? It's an excellent way to show off your interests, support your favorite organizations, and put off doing whatever it is you're supposed to be doing. It's also a great way of keeping in touch with people you haven't seen in years.And in this case, it's also good for learning about an innovative meeting style. Alan Webb, who was a fellow member of my church's youth group and youth choir, now runs a consulting business in Washington, DC. (One summer, he and another choice member performed at the Worship & Music talent show, debuting an amazing piano duet called "Rain Over Montreat." It sticks with me to this day.)
Anyway, I was perusing Facebook a couple of weeks ago (probably avoiding washing the dishes) and found this pretty cool post on his company's blog.
It seems that Alan and his business partner go running while they meet. Now I'm not a very strong runner, but I can't help but think that the lessons he has learned could be applied to any meeting, particularly the lessons about only meeting when they really need to, keeping the agenda to the number of items that will fit on the palm of one's hand, and about using meetings to discuss only "high level topics" such as brainstorming and strategy. How much of your current meeting agenda could be better achieved through email?
And while I don't think I have the stamina to discuss much of anything while I'm running, I do see some value in adding light physical activity to a meeting or brainstorming session. (I immediately think of the character in A Few Good Men who always swings the baseball bat when he's thinking.) So what about a walk? Or a nice hike?
And if that doesn't help, then there's always the treadmill desk. (Thanks for the ideas, Alan!)
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