A contributor from the Association for Consulting Expertise helps out a reader whose remote meetings need a jolt of creative energy and productivity.
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Q: Our team has settled into a routine using video for meetings, although everyone seems to be either tired or a little irritable. They seem productive, but what can I do to get their creative energy back?
ACE Advises: Video meetings may be more productive than face-to-face meetings, but productivity isn’t everything. Creativity is just as important. Regular human interactions build human connections. Human connections help people relax. Relaxed people are more creative.
Fortunately, creativity can be fostered in video meetings. Here are some things you can do to promote more creativity on your team.
- Simplify the number of digital tools needed: Stay with one or two platforms to minimize technology glitches. Learn them well. Have a white board, and another direct messaging platform, (chat, Slack etc.) for informal information sharing.
- Individual and group brainstorming: Individuals can be more creative than groups. Have your team members brainstorm individually before a meeting and have them bring their ideas to the team. Brainstorm together from the combined list of ideas.
- Create opportunities for connection: For problem solving or ideation, design a variety of groupings of people and in different size groups for the meeting so they interact with different people.
- Adjust project timelines: Instead of having long brainstorming sessions, break them up over several days so the team members can think about the task between sessions.
- Diverge and converge: Zoom in and zoom out. Go broad for a couple of sessions. Ask, “What else?” at least three times. Then rank the ideas. Select the top few and focus on them to explore the issues in depth.
You will need to plan agendas differently. Video meetings tend to be very task oriented and it’s okay to have some fun!
For more on this topic, see “Video Boredom: Hacks to Regain Creativity” at consultexpertise.com/blog/9428859.
Francis Eberle of Price Associates is a leadership and organization advisor, with over 30 years’ experience in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. He can be reached at francis@price-associates.com.