The corporate conference room is supposed to be a vehicle for collaboration, communication, and conclusion. But too often it becomes a battlefield wherein ego-driven executives, suit-wearing sales gals, and misguided marketers try to steamroll the development team.
In this brief article, I am going to describe seven strategies for conference room Kung Fu that will (1) prepare you to defend against nearly any assault and (2) guide your co-workers toward decision-making enlightenment.
The real conference-room goal of seeking a collaborative and collegial decision is a noble one. It should not be your personal aim to drive your agenda or champion your particular idea, but rather to be as intellectually supple as a Kung-Fu black belt is physically so—bending but not breaking. The end result of your training, technique, and talent will be wise corporate decisions that everyone in your organization can support.
No. 1: Ask Questions
In the 1970's television series, "Kung Fu," the blind Master Po frequently taught young Kwai Chang Kaine lessons not by telling him what to do, but by asking him questions that illuminated the real issues underlying Kaine's problems and challenges.
As a conference room black belt, you should do the same.
If it is your job to present an idea or lead a project, encourage others to ask questions and genuinely listen to their answers. You should always be confident enough in your abilities and experience to be able to accept challenging questions not as an assault, but an opportunity to make better decisions on behalf of your team, project, and company.
If it is your lot to be a collaborator, listen carefully to the project leader or manager and be willing to engage with relevant open-ended questions. For example, try starting each question with a phrase like, "could you describe...," "please explain," or "help me understand how... ."
Questions are also your best defense as they parry away nearly any forceful attack on web design and development best practices.
No. 2: Aim
Shaolin monks are recognized as some of the most deadly martial artists in the world because of their economy of motion, pinpoint striking, and focused approach to combat. Put simply they have aim. When they attack and defend there is a clear goal in view, and if you are to safely travel through corporate conference rooms, your goals must be just as precise.
In a humble and resolute way, insist on clear project goals. If marketing tries to bring you into a conference-room discussion about website improvements without first understanding what any proposed improvements are supposed to accomplish, use your defensive asking technique to refocus your colleagues on what they really want to accomplish.
No. 3: Set a Time to Decide
Your projects and meetings must also have a clear, time-bound end. If you are having a discussion about which new vendor to use, set a specific time for when that decision will be made—at the end of the meeting, next week, or next month.
Conference room meetings with aim require decision-making. Define those decisions that must be made (see No. 2) and set specific completion dates.
If it does not have a due date, it is not real.
On a final note, a relatively shorter deadline is better than a longer one—think in two weeks not in two years unless complexity and scope require it.
No. 4: Organize Ideas, Data, and Evidence
Shaolin monks are neat and organized. They categorize and compartmentalize each aspect of their lives. Apply this lesson to how you behave in the conference room.
As I mentioned above, a meeting with an aim requires that certain decisions must be made. Each of these essential decisions is made up of some number of choices, which will rely on both quantitative and qualitative information. As a conference room black belt, you must organize all of this data by the decisions each bit of information supports.
Be careful not to fall into the trap of collecting too much information, rather collect and organize enough information to understand the choices each decision represents.
No. 5: Ask Again
Having identified your aim, created a due date for important decisions, and organized your data, you must now ask again.
This is to avoid losing sight of the project's aim. You believe you have done everything right, discovered new technologies and techniques, organized the findings, and built a beautiful and elegant argument for the choice you support, only to realize that you lost sight of the aim.
Always, ask again. Ask if your solutions really address your aim.
No. 6 Name The Decision
If you know your Kung Fu television series history, you know that Kaine eventually traveled to the American west in search of this brother. Often the soft-spoken Kaine was misunderstood and forced into a fight.
Take a lesson from Kaine's miscommunication, always ensure that everyone understands the decision that has been made and why it was made.
If no one else will verbalize it, you may have to. Actually say out loud, "OK, so we are going with 'A', because it was the best choice for our aim. We liked 'B' but it was over budget and 'C' didn't really solve the essential customer issue." It is vital that you identify the group's collective decision, restate it, and get confirmation from everyone else.
No. 7: Record It
The final conference room Kung Fu technique reinforces those things that your group agreed to in the room.
Simply get in the habit of sending a post-meeting email to everyone involved. Write something nice first and then recount the aim, time frame, and decisions (made or to be made).
Mastering these seven techniques will take some practice. It will take some time to recondition yourself (aim is the hardest), but if you stick with it, these techniques will make you a master of the conference room Kung Fu.
