Peter Bregman writes a blog for Harvard Business Review. In a recent post he shares the top three things that a survey of 400 senior managers counted as the most time wasting:
- Unnecessary Meetings
- Unimportant Emails
- Protracted PowerPoints
All three can be resolved with better communication. If the meeting is unnecessary (or of dubious quality) - create a short video of what you think is important and send it to folks. See if the meeting is important before holding it. I recommend a short video (30 seconds or so) simply to distinguish it from #2.
For the longest time I have recommended that the way to lower your inbox count of unimportant emails is to stop originating so many in the first place. Imagine the consequences if everyone reduced their email output by just 10%. That seems manageable to most, but my advice is to reduce it by 75% or more. That often feels impossible, but consider how much time you can save by writing better emails, reducing unwarranted emails, and eliminating your CYA blizzard of protection. Add to these factors the idea that one short voice or video call could not only enhance communication (as well as relationships) but reduce email traffic (and that may be more important than reducing your commute).
Lastly, while I could go on for hours about poorly constructed, visually assisted presentations, I won't because we all already know how to make better presentations. The best advice I can give for those who are irretrievably tethered to slide shows is to turn the projector off. Make your comments from memory or hand written notes and provide the slides as a backup (or gift for those who like to think positively). Use more Q&A and less Show & Tell and you might be surprised that at the end your audience feels invigorated rather than fatigued.
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