I jumped onto a Teams meeting earlier today only to find my boxed profile virtually shoulder-to-shoulder with two colleagues who were...also in the office with me. We shook our heads sadly at the presumption and then agreed to meet out in the real world. In that moment, an alternate term occurred to me, though thankfully … Continue reading On the awfulness of “meatspace”
Tag: meetings
On typing with people watching
One joy of virtual meetings is that I get to type notes with no one watching. I am not a very good typist. My attempts at notes are pretty half-baked in the moment—not just typos but missed spaces and frac turd wordssoert ofli kethis. It’s not pleasant to look at. So, what sweet relief to … Continue reading On typing with people watching
On missing running meetings
I miss running meetings. I feel a little silly admitting this—but there it is. Last year, I was charged with running 2-3 monthly leadership meetings, and I relished it. Agendas, minutes, gently redirecting discussions. Why do I miss it? Partly, it's my ego. I felt important running those meetings. It feels good to be in … Continue reading On missing running meetings
On the next-in-line effect
I can't remember when I first learned about this phenomenon, but I do remember having the dumb thought: I don't fall for this. But whenever the opportunity for it next came up—going around the table introducing ourselves—I discovered that the name of the person who'd gone just before me was—well, exactly. I had no idea. … Continue reading On the next-in-line effect
On the story of your name icebreaker
One of my favorite library finds of last year was Creative Acts for Curious People—a Stanford d.school publication that compiled dozens of icebreakers, group activities, and creative exercises. The icebreakers were more than the typical single question variety. My favorite one in the book is “Story of Your Name.” Find someone in the room you … Continue reading On the story of your name icebreaker
On the doorway effect
I didn't need to learn the name of this effect to know that it exists. Wait. Why did I come up here? It's only with a single-minded focus, or by carrying some physical object, that I can remember why I have walked into a room. At least once a day, I find myself striding into … Continue reading On the doorway effect
On the law of the instrument
Known as "law of the instrument" or "law of the hammer," this cognitive bias is perhaps most familiar as a quip, one usually attributed to Abraham Maslow (yes, he of the hierarchy of needs): If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail. … Continue reading On the law of the instrument
On the right number of people for meetings
Over the past few years the firm I work for has grown—and so has the size of the leadership. I'm fortunate to be in the leadership group of the firm, and more fortunate still to work for a firm that is serious about creating actual leadership opportunities for Associates, making it more than just a … Continue reading On the right number of people for meetings
On the foolish hope that remote work alone would improve webinars
When COVID happened, webinars were suddenly everywhere—an unavoidable part of our changed work landscape. Almost three years later, with in-person meetings possible and a diminished hunger for any kind of human interaction, the deluge of webinars in my life has slowed to a trickle. So what surprised me the other day, when I hopped into … Continue reading On the foolish hope that remote work alone would improve webinars
On loving “event time” but living on “clock time”
An NPR segment the other day made a distinction I'd never heard of before: there are two types of people—those who live on "clock time" and those who live on "event time." (I don't love "two types of people" claims, but the segment did clarify that we all have a little bit of both types … Continue reading On loving “event time” but living on “clock time”
Taylor Coe 