Compromise has been compromised! There was a time when you could refer to someone as a great compromiser, and now we don’t think it is great to compromise. Associations will need to adapt, or maybe they already are getting more comfortable with the argument culture. Our society has come to value aggression. We
are a 24-hour society — we compete for audience. So you take our Western culture approach to value aggression and combine it with the 24/7 world, and all this makes you believe that aggression is what will get the ears/the attention.
Delegates from many countries, cultures, and generations attend meetings. What is most important for meeting professionals to plan for? There are so many differences at every turn. Do sessions start on time or not? Does a nine o’clock meeting mean that we start getting seated at nine and we start the meeting at 9:30? You can clarify understandings in your communication. For example, you can say, “Meetings will begin at the stated time, so please be in your seats at nine sharp.” You must over-communicate. Also, think about how questions are handled.
I was at a meeting in Sweden where the modera- tor took six questions (in a row) and said, “Now answer all six questions”! [Consider h]ow argu- mentative do you expect the questions to be. In some cultures, extreme opposition and argument is valued, and in other cultures it is extremely unacceptable to say something that is disagreeable. You may disagree subtly but not in an obvious way. These issues are best addressed upfront rather than being swept under the rug and ignored. Badges are very American — we like to know
people’s names. The British, for example, think it is ridiculous and don’t understand why we always want to know names. Be responsive to differences.
Do you have any other thoughts on how to make meetings maximum communication channels? Attendees value a lot of open space between scheduled events, so allow for that. Once they have heard ideas worth discussing, that’s when they want to have a conversation. Don’t be afraid to schedule downtime between events for relaxation and effective communication.
As a master of communication, what are some of the things you do when you deliver a speech? Use words that everyone understands. Provide
context and background. Avoid technical language. Refer only to concepts that you explain. Ask something about the audience to encourage them to think about their own lives.
‘Badges are very American
— we like to know people’s names.’
There is an approach now in the meetings industry to offer short TED-style sessions — say, 18 minutes in length. Can you effectively communicate ideas in such short time segments? I certainly see the advantage. If you aren’t interested in the topic or approach, you don’t need to invest long periods of time. Short sessions also may be unavoidable because everyone is so rushed and attention spans are getting shorter. That’s a scientific fact. You can compensate by banning electronic communication in sessions and try to require people to give their full attention. This may not be practical, but multitasking minimizes effective communication. I do not allow the use of electron- ics in my classes. Many students are frustrated, because they want to take notes electronically. However, some would be surfing the web, check- ing their messages, tweeting. It’s a temptation you can’t resist — I probably would do it myself. As much as possible, if you can make a rule or develop a culture that values total focus, it will enhance the degree of effective dialogue.
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Susan Sarfati, CAE, is CEO of High Performance Strategies, LLC (sarfatihighperformance.com). She served as CEO of The Greater Washington Society of Association Executives and was the founding CEO of The Center for Association Leadership and executive vice president of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). She can be reached at susan@ssarfati.com.
ON THE WEB To learn more about Deborah Tannen and her work, visit deborahtannen.com.