""I have made this mistake many times, where I'd be told, 'Oh, just show up and give us a bit of your top of mind,'" Singleton said. "What's on top of my mind right now is that I'm kind of hungry, and I'm not going to say that." Meeting leaders should "think about what is the most useful context for that audience to hear about and put some thought into it," he said."
"Jamie Dimon, who famously hates meetings, said that he reads ahead of time and asks his employees to do the same. Jeff Bezos and his Amazon successor, Andy Jassy, ask leaders and participants to write memos before meetings to be read by participants. Singleton's second piece of advice: Take a beat before answering questions. The lesson dates back to Singleton's days at Google, where he worked under senior vice president of engineering Alan Eustace."
Leaders should prepare thoughtful, audience-relevant content before meetings by spending at least 30 minutes planning what context matters. Audience members typically devote 15–20 minutes of focused listening, so leaders should prioritize useful information and avoid unfocused, off-the-cuff remarks. Leaders should take a deliberate pause before answering questions and restate why a question matters for the wider audience. Explaining the relevance of questions helps re-engage participants who were not immediately focused and clarifies priorities. Pre-meeting reading or written memos can increase effectiveness and ensure participants arrive informed and ready to engage.
Read at Business Insider
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