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Cage Rattling 101: Bringing People on Board the Meeting Jet

Don’t let the fear of striking out hold you back.

—BABE RUTH

Changing the habits of people in an organization and accepted corporate culture can seem a daunting task. Maybe you are not the one who organizes or runs the meetings but are simply the victim, ah, I mean an attendee at the meetings. The most important thing to keep in mind is that most people hate meetings. It wouldn’t hurt to suggest to those who are in charge of meetings a process that will make meetings shorter, more focused, and more productive.

The overall steps to implementing the Meeting Jet process are as follows:

1.  Start with the people responsible for running meetings and let them know there is a better way.

2.  Create and present to them your Cage Rattling document of the potential dramatic benefits.

3.  Give them a copy of this book so they understand the process and direct them to dealingwithmeetings.com for more information.

4.  Suggest that the group try it twice as an experiment to see what happens.

5.  Once the person in charge is on board, talk to participants to let them know there is a better way and utilize the resources at dealingwithmeetings.com to give them an understanding of the process.

THE CAGE RATTLING DOCUMENT

Let’s examine a written strategy I affectionately call Cage Rattling. Cage Rattling is an effective way to bring people on board with new, even radical, ideas. It can be applied internally to create change within your organization.

The written word is powerful because it becomes physical; it is something you can see and remains the same over time. A verbal presentation is easily forgotten, even a compelling one. Even if you make an extremely persuasive verbal presentation, as soon as you leave, in floods a thousand other things asking for the person’s attention, and where is your presentation? Gone. Now, this is not to discount the importance of the passion of a verbal presentation. And if you make a verbal presentation, make sure you leave them with a document; it is more likely that they will follow through on it. An additional benefit is that they can show the document to others and bring them on board too. A passionate verbal presentation coupled with a document is very powerful.

THE THREE PARTS OF THE CAGE RATTLING DOCUMENT

In the first part, you want the reader’s psychological agreement that what you’re suggesting is undeniably important. In the second part, your goal is to shock them by proving that what they’ve just agreed is important is not happening or, even worse, is completely lost. You will prove that with facts and figures. In the third part, you offer a thoughtful solution that fulfills the intentions of the first part yet avoids the problems of the second part. Let’s examine these in greater detail.

Part I: Begin with Intent

Just as every agenda item has a clear intent and purpose to orient people, the first line of the first paragraph begins with a question that includes the intent or is a statement of intent and then asks if the reader is interested in hearing more. Why a question? Because you want readers to have to mentally answer yes to it and open their minds to hearing more:

Would you like to hear about a meeting process that keeps us focused and ensures that we hear from everyone?

or:

I read about a tried-and-true strategy that makes meetings shorter, more engaging, and more effective. It enables you to get things done more quickly at a higher quality. I’m wondering if we should try it as an experiment?

or:

Would you like to hear a strategy that prevents conflict and tangents at meetings?

Consider what specific issues your reader experiences at meetings, and rework the opener accordingly. Try tying it to company initiatives. If there are budget cuts happening and everyone is trying to do more with less, this might be compelling:

Would you like to hear about a strategy that makes our meetings shorter, yet more productive and, based on my research, can save us $50,000 a year?

How will you know it can save $50,000 a year? We’ll get to that shortly. Stay tuned.

Mission statements can also be a source of inspiration. For example:

I know one of the pillars in our mission statement is this: “People and teamwork are our greatest assets.” But it doesn’t seem like the quality of our meetings reflects that. Would you like to hear about a meeting strategy that prevents conflicts, integrates different points of view, and fosters respect for what each team member brings to the table?

At this point, readers should be nodding. They are psychologically agreeing that what you are proposing is important, so your goal for Part I is almost accomplished. There is just one more thought to add. And it goes back to the other critical lens in every agenda item: “What do you want from them?” Tell the readers why you are presenting this idea to them. Is it because they are the only ones with the authority to move this forward? Or is it because you need advice on how to proceed? Always orient readers so that they know their role.

Part II: Use Some Shock Therapy

Part II contains factual examples that contradict what was just mentally agreed upon as important in Part I: “We say we value teamwork, but look at what we allow to happen in our meetings.” Describe two to three examples. Be brief but clear. Include dates, facts, and numbers. Do not express emotions or even opinions—just stick to the facts.

One of the most important numbers to include is the cost. What is it costing the organization to allow this situation or policy to continue? Here are three ways you can arrive at these numbers.

Do Some Research

Get to all meetings on time for a few weeks and record the time wasted waiting for everyone to show up. Go to HR, let them know what you are doing, and ask if they can give you a per-minute dollar number of what those people cost the company—a single total number. Be clear that you are sharing the calculation with only senior decision-makers to have them see the value of having a meeting process. In my research I talked to a number of HR directors. Most thought they could provide it, while some did not. If your HR does not want to provide this number for any reason, refer to an online database such as glassdoor.com, which can give you the average salary for different jobs in different geographic areas. With that, you can arrive at a reasonable estimate.

Then do some calculations. Take the average number of minutes wasted waiting that you tracked and multiply that by the dollars per minute that people cost. Multiply that by the estimated number of meetings per year in your department and—voilà!—you will have a shocking number.

Be creative, but be conservative. Whenever you are not sure and you need to estimate a number, assume it is lower than you think it is. That way, when people read it, if they know that it is more than what you are saying, they will be even more shocked.

Use Other People’s Numbers

As mentioned in the Introduction, according to the Wharton Center for Applied Research, senior executives spend an average of 23 hours per week in meetings, and middle managers spend 11 hours. According to senior and middle managers, 44 percent of meetings are unproductive.¹

A survey conducted by Harris Poll found that U.S. employees at large-sized companies (1,000 employees or more) consider that the number one obstacle getting in the way of work consisted of “wasteful meetings, not needed, not engaging, and inefficient.”²

In the United States there are 36 to 56 million meetings held each day, and it is estimated that between $70 and $283 billion a year is spent on unproductive meetings.³

The value to organizations of improving their meetings is huge. If you have a management team with five people at an annual salary of $100,000 per person and they spend an average of 15 hours a week in meetings, your weekly direct meeting cost for only these five people is $4,076, and your annual cost is a shocking $212,000! If you can reduce that by 40 percent, you will save $85,000 per year!

Harvard Business Review found that 15 percent of an organization’s total collective time is spent in meetings, and that percentage has increased every year since 2008.⁴

Tie these numbers to your company with an estimate.

Create a Hypothetical Example

Based on other people’s numbers, you can create a hypothetical example. Consider your own schedule and that of your colleagues. How much time do you spend in meetings each week, and how many meetings do you have? Then do the math: time spent in meetings each week × the number of meetings each week × 52 weeks = total minutes. Then cite the Wharton study finding that 44 percent of meeting time is wasted. Take 44 percent of the total minutes you calculated, and that is the time you can save for more productive activities. That is “money” in the company’s pocket.

You can do any or even all of these three: do some research, use other people’s numbers, and create a hypothetical example.

I suggest you write three examples. Why three? It’s the human generalization point. If we are driving and stop at three red lights in a row, we say, “All the lights are red today.” If we run into three people in a bad mood, we say, “Everyone is in a bad mood today.” It takes only three before people generalize. So if I were trying to persuade my manager to implement a meeting process, and I gave three examples of the issue and potential benefit, the psychological response in the reader would be, “Wow, this is a real issue, and the potential savings are huge!” Now you are speaking to an open mind. Time to propose the solution.

Part III: Solve the Problem

Your purpose in the third part of your document is to ensure that readers fully understand how your idea solves the problem. Handle any “yes, but” issues the reader might have by acknowledging those doubts, and then point out how your solution addresses them. If you don’t yet know how to handle the doubt, just acknowledge its presence and indicate that you will figure out a way to solve it so the reader doesn’t get stuck on this point. For example, “I realize we have to get everyone on board with this idea. I can survey them to see if they would like to do an experiment to improve our meetings.”

Show value. What does the organization stand to gain by implementing your idea? Based on your calculations of the problem, you are ready to take this next step. In the last section, we calculated what people are worth and how much time and money is wasted waiting for people to show up. Or the total number of minutes spent in a year of meetings. Reiterate those numbers and add what time saved from meetings would do to increase productivity and improve morale.

Be conservative. What if you could shorten all meetings by only 20 percent? Now do the math. Show how that savings of time can be given back to everyone to do more productive things that support the company.

Last, specify the criteria for your solution. Why did you pick that specific solution to solve the overall problem? It won’t cost anything? It’s easy to implement for all types of meetings? You know the importance of criteria from Chapter 10. Show that your solution fulfills all relevant criteria in your specific situation.

As you know, when people have an objection or consideration, it’s because they lock on to certain criteria. But in this Cage Rattling document, you have presented such a complete perspective that they probably will be more willing to tweak things to make it work.

There are no guarantees in life, but using this Cage Rattling document to communicate clearly will stack the deck in your favor.

YOUR NEXT STEP

Give them a copy of this book along with your Cage Rattling document so they understand the process. Get their agreement to try it as an experiment. Suggest that a copy of the book be purchased for each participant. Although this is good for my book sales, I do not suggest this to be self-serving. It is important for everyone to understand and, ultimately, own the process for themselves. It empowers them to use the process in other meetings.

Once the person in charge is on board, it’s time to talk to your coworkers. Ask them how they feel about meetings and suggest to them there is a better way. You can use your Cage Rattling document with them too. Show them this book, or give them a copy, or point them to the resources at dealingwithmeetings.com.

PERFORM A TEST FLIGHT

Suggest that the group try the Meeting Jet process at two meetings to check it out. Most will be happy to try anything that might make their meetings shorter and more focused.

Once the group has agreed and the date is set, make the necessary preparations. First, make sure that the proper equipment will be available in the meeting location: the whiteboard for the Q and either the flip chart or a computer connected to a projector for the flight recording. Second, decide who is responsible for creating the agenda. Third, decide who will be the Pilot, the Air Traffic Controller, and the Flight Recorder. Along with the agenda, send a summary of the Meeting Jet process. You want people going into the meeting with an understanding of the process.

At the beginning of the first meeting, allow at least 10 minutes on the agenda to review the Meeting Jet process for everyone. Use the process to have the group decide what their auditory signal will be. Then run the meeting using the process.

At the end of the meeting, allow time for matching and then mismatching with regard to the meeting process. Flight record as usual. Use the circular order to make sure that everyone is heard from. In this case, when matching is the process, I would let people articulate as many matches as they have in each turn. The same is true for when the process switches to mismatching. Participants should be instructed to repeat matches that others have said if they agree with them (or mismatches when that’s the specified process). Have the Flight Recorder put hash marks next to a match or mismatch each time it is mentioned. This will provide a clear vision of what works and what to focus on to improve the process. But don’t make changes to the process yet that are based on this feedback. You need to try it at least one more time to give people a chance to get used to it.

You may also initiate the process in a more formal way by hiring one of our certified Meeting Jet trainers or me. In this case, we’ll teach a group of facilitators within your organization the process so that they can teach it to others. I have found the best way to learn is simply to run real meetings using the process. Using internal facilitators, you will spread the process through the organization and reap huge savings in time and money while increasing quality and productivity.

Llama Dung

We engineers are so good at solving problems that we sometimes forget to ask if a problem is posed correctly. Questioning the rationale behind things is useful. Consider the U.S. Army’s llamas. In the early 1940s, so the story goes, the Army wanted a dependable supply of llama dung, as required by specifications for treating the leather used in airplane seats. Submarine attacks made shipping from South America unreliable, so the Army attempted to establish a herd of llamas in New Jersey. Only after the attempt failed did anyone question the specification.

Was llama dung really necessary, or could there be a local substitute? Subsequent research revealed that the U.S. Army had copied a British Army specification dating back to Great Britain’s era of colonial expansion. The original specification applied to saddle leather. Great Britain’s pressing need for cavalry in its many colonies meant bringing together raw recruits, untrained horses, and new saddles. The smell of new leather made the horses skittish and unmanageable. Treating the saddle leather with llama dung imparted an odor that calmed the horses. A century later they were treating the seats of military aircraft.

—Engineer, EDN Network⁵

SUMMARY

1.  The overall steps to implementing Meeting Jet are as follows:

•   Start with the people responsible for running meetings and let them know there is a better way.

•   Create and present to them your Cage Rattling document that describes the potential dramatic benefits.

•   Give them a copy of this book so that they understand the process and direct them to dealingwithmeetings.com for more information.

•   Suggest that the group try it twice as an experiment to see what happens.

•   Once the person in charge is on board, talk to coworkers to let them know there is a better way, and utilize the resources at dealingwithmeetings.com to give them an understanding of the process.

2.  Create a Cage Rattling document.

•   Part I: Begin with Intent

   Consider the specific issues the reader experiences.

   Phrase the intent as a question or finish with a question.

•   Part II: Use Shock Therapy

   Provide factual examples that contradict what the person mentally agreed was important in Part I.

   Count the cost.

»   Do the research.

»   Use other people’s numbers.

»   Create a hypothetical estimate.

•   Part III: Solve the Problem

   Handle or acknowledge “yes, but” issues.

   Show value to the organization with numbers.

   Specify your criteria for the solution.