This Meeting Sucks

This Meeting Sucks

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Welcome to This Meeting Sucks, the podcast providing tangible tools to “un-suck” your meetings.

Lauren Green

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    • Feb 19, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 15m AVG DURATION
    • 32 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from This Meeting Sucks

    S3E10: When to Hire a Facilitator

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2024 15:16


    No matter your skill at leading meetings, there are some occasions when hiring a facilitator is in your best interest. This episode goes over considerations to help you recognize when it's time to bring in a third-party facilitator and gives you a guide of questions to consider when searching for the right person to lead your meeting.

    S3E9: The Role of the Sponsor or Leader

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2024 18:44


    Organization leaders and meeting sponsors carry a large influence on the meetings they attend, and how they show up can affect the group as a whole and the success of a session. This episode provides guidance for what leaders should be doing before, during, and after a meeting to help achieve outcomes and harness the wisdom of their team.

    S3E8: Support Roles—Notetaking & Tech Hosting (with Heather Martinez)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2024 25:48


    Whether your team needs help remembering information or navigating the complexities of virtual meetings, you can take on a meeting support role to level up the effectiveness of your team's meeting. In this episode, Lauren breaks down the need for meeting notes and tips for taking them effectively, and guest Heather Martinez discusses the rold of tech host.

    S3E7: Don't Just Do Something, Stand There

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2024 21:39


    Sometimes, the best way to deal with conflict, is to stop and listen. In this episode, we'll reframe our understanding of conflict and explore practical strategies for managing it effectively, whether you're the facilitator or a participant.

    S3E6: Help Your Meetings Work II—Conversation Tracking

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2024 19:42


    By identifying patterns in the conversation of your meeting, you can take action to keep things balanced and productive. In this episode, we go over the Kantor model, a tool you can use to track conversations and gain insight into group dynamics.

    S3E5: Help Your Meetings Work I—Verbal Tools

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2024 18:24


    Get ready to test your knowledge in this Jeopardy-style episode inspired by the Not Past It podcast. In this episode, we unpack a facilitator's toolkit of simple verbal tools that anyone in a meeting can use to improve communication, encourage diverse voices, and enhance the meeting experience.

    S3E4: Elevate Your Meeting Etiquette

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2024 19:45


    Participant etiquette can make or break the success of a meeting. In this episode, we challenge you to rethink your approach to meetings with suggestions on mindset, being present, dealing with dominating personalities, and more.

    S3E3: How Groups Work (or Don't Work)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2023 18:28


    Group and team dynamics can have a huge impact on the success of a meeting. In this episode, we discuss power dynamics, the role of conflict styles and groupthink, and introduce you to the Team Dimensions Profile, a tool for assessing team roles. 

    S3E2: How People Work

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2023 25:53


    In today's hectic work environment, where back-to-back meetings and unexpected challenges are the norm, managing yourself is the key to success. In this episode, we cover three tools for understanding how people work and interact in different situations: Myers-Briggs Type Theory, DiSC Work Styles Assessment, and the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI).

    S3E1: A Participant's Guide to Un-sucking Your Meetings

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2023 9:18


    Welcome to Season 3, MeetingMakers! This season is for anyone who participates in meetings with a desire to make them suck less. In this episode, we'll give you an overview of what to expect in Season 3—focused on improving meetings through modeling etiquette, making space for others, and playing a support role when needed.

    S2E10: Debrief Meetings

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2023 11:09


    You don't need a three-day offsite in the woods to improve your team's performance. It's much easier (and more effective) to bake debrief meetings into your team meeting rhythms so you can learn and grow from setbacks and successes. This episode covers an easy process you can use to start building a learning team.

    S2E9: Make It a Meeting, Not a Lecture

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2023 24:27


    Most presentations are boring and unmemorable, but there are techniques you can pull from meeting facilitation to make your presentations more engaging and effective. In this episode, we dive into tips for planning your presentation, telling a story, engaging your audience and utilizing visuals.

    S2E8: Mediate Conflicts & Give Feedback in the Moment (with Gina Weatherup)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2023 17:18


    Conflict in meetings is normal, but that doesn't mean it's easy. In this special guest episode, certified meditator Gina Weatherup offers her top tips for managing conflict at work. Plus, Lauren gives her suggestions for giving feedback in the moment rather than waiting for a performance review.⭐️ Connect with Gina Weatherup ⭐️

    BONUS EPISODE: Live Coaching Demo

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 12:23


    This bonus episode is a companion to the Coaching 101 episode. We recommend listening to that episode before checking out this live coaching demonstration.Support the Show.

    S2E7: Coaching 101

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 28:10


    Coaching is a buzzword these days, but what exactly is coaching? And why is it important for managers to have basic coaching skills? This episode breaks down essential skills for coaching and why we all need them and ends with a live coaching demo to demonstrate those skills in action. Check out the BONUS EPISODE for a live coaching demo with Lauren and Vickie.

    S2E6: One-on-One Meetings & Setting Boundaries at Work

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2023 14:42


    When someone ducks their head in, do you wish you could hide under your desk? In this episode, we give you healthy options for responding to unexpected conversations and change, and tips to help you have a productive conversation and get back to work.

    S2E5: When a Standup Is Not a Standup

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2023 9:24


    Tired from standing around in your morning standup? If your daily tag-ups are running long, it's time to get essential. In this episode, we'll give you ways to start your stand-up strong and prompts to keep the conversation quick and productive.

    S2E4: Effective Weekly Meetings With Your Team

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2023 13:03


    Weekly meetings are meant to kick off the week with momentum. If you're going in without a plan or fighting to keep your team on task, it's time to make a change. In this episode, we'll walk you through what might not be working and give you an agenda template you can use right away.⭐️ Download our free weekly meeting agenda template ⭐️

    S2E3: Establish Meeting Rhythms

    Play Episode Play 34 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 17, 2023 12:50


    Established meeting rhythms are the best-kept secret to high-performing teams… until now. Meeting rhythms help teams work more effectively. In this episode, we review a process you can use to establish new meeting rhythms or revise existing rhythms with your team.

    S2E2: Can We Just Have a Meeting?

    Play Episode Play 43 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 10, 2023 10:28


    Sometimes it's easiest to send a quick text or email, but that puts us at risk of being misunderstood and misinterpreted. In this episode, we'll discuss factors to consider when choosing how to communicate with a co-worker or team and provide a short quiz you can use to find a good option each time.

    S2E1: Meet Smarter, Not Longer

    Play Episode Play 44 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 3, 2023 9:08


    Welcome to Season 2, MeetingMakers! This season is for the managers out there who want their teams to meet more efficiently, not longer. This episode gives you an overview of the season and the skills you'll learn to improve your work life.

    S1E10: Closing & Follow-up

    Play Episode Play 38 sec Highlight Listen Later Nov 21, 2022 7:31


    You've done the prep, you've gone through your agenda; now, all that's left is to wrap things up in a bow. In this last episode of This Meeting Suck season one, we'll walk you through closing the conversation, recapping next steps and sending participants on their way.

    S1E9: Conflict, Time Management & Inclusion

    Play Episode Play 27 sec Highlight Listen Later Nov 14, 2022 20:20


    No matter how detailed your outline is or how much you prepped, you can never guarantee your meeting will go exactly as planned. This episode includes tips for navigating conflict, managing time and ensuring inclusion during your meeting.

    S1E8: Kicking Off

    Play Episode Play 33 sec Highlight Listen Later Nov 7, 2022 18:08


    Kicking off the meeting and each activity is critical for un-sucky meetings. This episode will give you tips and reminders for each, with a bonus focus on open-ended questions.

    S1E7: Final Prep Steps

    Play Episode Play 28 sec Highlight Listen Later Oct 31, 2022 13:10


    If you've been following along this season, you probably have a great meeting planned. But before you kick off your meeting, there are some important final preparations you should take to ensure your meeting runs smoothly. It's time to connect with co-planners, collect your materials, communicate with participants and more.

    S1E6: When In Doubt, Open Space

    Play Episode Play 38 sec Highlight Listen Later Oct 24, 2022 11:48


    No plan for your meeting? Participants resisting your agenda at every turn? Open Space is your friend. Open Space Technology is a meeting method that ensures that topics that the participants care about the most are covered. In this episode, learn how to use Open Space to collaboratively plan your agenda with participants.

    S1E5: Write a Facilitation Guide

    Play Episode Play 38 sec Highlight Listen Later Oct 17, 2022 14:31


    If you've been following along with the season so far, then you've made in through prepping your meeting and developing an agenda outline. Now it's time to create a facilitation guide: a detailed version of your agenda with talking points, reflection questions, tech host instructions and more. We'll also cover the importance of additions like affinity clustering and breakouts for ensuring a smooth and productive meeting.

    S1E4: Outline Your Meeting

    Play Episode Play 31 sec Highlight Listen Later Oct 10, 2022 15:52


    You've decided to meet and you've prepped for your meeting. It's time to outline your meeting. In this episode, we'll take you through all the steps of creating your outline including choosing a medium, establishing outcomes, creating flow, timing and energy shifts, and how to open and close the meeting.

    S1E3: Prepping for a Meeting

    Play Episode Play 32 sec Highlight Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 8:03


    Successful meetings have a design. If you're just showing up and meeting and wondering why it's not working, it's because no one is taking time to plan out your meetings beforehand. By the end of this episode, you'll know who needs to be a part of planning, why you are meeting and the 10 questions you need to answer to start your outline. 

    S1E2: Should We Meet?

    Play Episode Play 30 sec Highlight Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 8:08


    No, your meeting could not have been an email. There's a reason that meeting is on your calendar and there are changes that can make meetings suck less and even worthwhile. In this episode, we'll discuss all the reasons why we meet and the 1-out-of-100 scenario when it makes sense not to. 

    S1E1: Just-in-Time Meetings Skills

    Play Episode Play 32 sec Highlight Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 4:17


    This episode breaks down the first season—just-in-time meeting tools—aimed to help you plan an inclusive, engaging and purposeful meeting.  Listen to find out what to expect from this season and get ready to make your meetings work.

    Welcome to This Meeting Sucks

    Play Episode Play 32 sec Highlight Listen Later Sep 15, 2022 5:29


    Welcome to This Meeting Sucks, the podcast providing tangible tools to “un-suck” your meetings. In this episode, host Lauren Green tells you the secret skill missing from your most boring meetings (spoiler alert: it's facilitation). We'll tell you what to expect from this podcast and how to be the first to know when a new episode drops. If you like the podcast, don't forget to follow, rate and review on your favorite podcast platform.Support the Show.

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