1 00:00:04,010 --> 00:00:08,399 Speaker 1: Hi, welcome back to our ask me anything segment. So 2 00:00:08,409 --> 00:00:11,800 Speaker 1: today we have a question from a listener. She wants 3 00:00:11,810 --> 00:00:14,729 Speaker 1: to remain anonymous. So I'll call her Samantha. 4 00:00:15,100 --> 00:00:18,559 Speaker 1: Now, Samantha asks, how do I work in a team 5 00:00:18,629 --> 00:00:22,058 Speaker 1: where often bosses or even coworkers talk in a way 6 00:00:22,069 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: that's just up in the air with no tangible outcomes. 7 00:00:26,049 --> 00:00:29,319 Speaker 1: After the meeting, she even sent us an Instagram video 8 00:00:29,540 --> 00:00:32,590 Speaker 1: of examples of how these non meetings look like. Yeah, 9 00:00:32,598 --> 00:00:34,750 Speaker 1: I'll read them out. I'll read some quotes out and 10 00:00:34,759 --> 00:00:36,119 Speaker 1: then Gerald, you can tell me if you find them 11 00:00:36,229 --> 00:00:39,540 Speaker 1: familiar. So like the boss will say right now, we're 12 00:00:39,549 --> 00:00:43,810 Speaker 1: not very streamlined with the way we maximize our efficiency 13 00:00:43,990 --> 00:00:45,318 Speaker 1: and we're not being agile. 14 00:00:45,330 --> 00:00:47,150 Speaker 2: Sounds like weight loss is needed. 15 00:00:47,330 --> 00:00:50,110 Speaker 1: Yeah. And in order to be agile, we need to 16 00:00:50,119 --> 00:00:56,159 Speaker 1: leverage existing bandwidth in a more streamlined, effective manner. OK. 17 00:00:56,169 --> 00:00:57,209 Speaker 2: Wi Fi problems. 18 00:00:58,349 --> 00:01:01,319 Speaker 1: And I just feel like right now our ducks are 19 00:01:01,330 --> 00:01:02,630 Speaker 1: not in a row. 20 00:01:03,180 --> 00:01:04,379 Speaker 2: I don't get that one at all. 21 00:01:04,419 --> 00:01:07,738 Speaker 1: Yeah. So this person, if they're spending like five minutes 22 00:01:07,750 --> 00:01:10,309 Speaker 1: just saying all of these things, you're just wondering. So 23 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:12,500 Speaker 1: what are you trying to say? And I can go 24 00:01:12,510 --> 00:01:16,370 Speaker 1: on and on, but basically Samantha is leaving this meeting 25 00:01:16,379 --> 00:01:19,669 Speaker 1: feeling like she's heard all these corporate speak. But her 26 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:23,290 Speaker 1: boss or her coworkers have no concrete steps for her 27 00:01:23,300 --> 00:01:23,929 Speaker 1: to move on 28 00:01:24,180 --> 00:01:26,279 Speaker 1: and it makes her feel very jaded. I mean, I 29 00:01:26,290 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: personally would be quite angry and emotionally exhausted from these meetings. So, 30 00:01:31,370 --> 00:01:34,429 Speaker 1: what should someone like Samantha do if she's going to 31 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: these sort of 32 00:01:35,050 --> 00:01:35,559 Speaker 1: meetings? 33 00:01:35,569 --> 00:01:37,819 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think if I'm Samantha, right, I'll find that 34 00:01:37,830 --> 00:01:41,220 Speaker 2: meetings are a waste of time because there's no outcomes 35 00:01:41,230 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 2: and everybody just talking just the time could be used 36 00:01:43,730 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 2: to do other things. Right? 37 00:01:44,989 --> 00:01:47,610 Speaker 2: I came from public service. So this is something that 38 00:01:47,620 --> 00:01:49,839 Speaker 2: if anything at all, the public service is very on 39 00:01:49,849 --> 00:01:53,339 Speaker 2: the ball with meeting deliverables. Ok. So I can perhaps 40 00:01:53,349 --> 00:01:55,839 Speaker 2: share from that experience. I think when we want to 41 00:01:55,849 --> 00:01:58,970 Speaker 2: have meetings in Samantha's case, it always starts with setting 42 00:01:58,980 --> 00:02:01,339 Speaker 2: an agenda. Ok. Prior to the meeting, I think that 43 00:02:01,349 --> 00:02:03,099 Speaker 2: would be really helpful. If she's being called into a 44 00:02:03,110 --> 00:02:05,639 Speaker 2: meeting that's going to be up in the air pretty 45 00:02:05,650 --> 00:02:07,550 Speaker 2: useful for Samantha to just say, you know, what can 46 00:02:07,559 --> 00:02:09,490 Speaker 2: I just know what we want to discuss? What's the 47 00:02:09,500 --> 00:02:10,288 Speaker 2: aim of that meeting? 48 00:02:10,729 --> 00:02:14,410 Speaker 2: If possible, set a time limit, don't give like two 49 00:02:14,419 --> 00:02:16,949 Speaker 2: hours or don't just set a meeting without any time frame. 50 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:18,850 Speaker 2: Because if we say I only got 30 minutes, let's 51 00:02:18,860 --> 00:02:20,479 Speaker 2: do this within 30 minutes, then it's going to be 52 00:02:20,490 --> 00:02:24,038 Speaker 2: chop chop. Very quick discussions, perhaps very much more focused 53 00:02:24,050 --> 00:02:25,630 Speaker 2: on the agenda. Yes. Right. 54 00:02:25,869 --> 00:02:29,220 Speaker 2: Of course, after doing the meeting itself, Samantha could perhaps 55 00:02:29,229 --> 00:02:32,538 Speaker 2: take over a little bit more by asking for some specifics. 56 00:02:32,820 --> 00:02:34,509 Speaker 2: I mean, very helpful if you have a marker and 57 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 2: bought a nearby, if you have a laptop that you're 58 00:02:36,729 --> 00:02:38,638 Speaker 2: projecting a screen and say, don't mind guys. If I 59 00:02:38,649 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 2: take some notes, I just want to jot down the 60 00:02:40,449 --> 00:02:42,728 Speaker 2: points that we are key points we are talking about, right? 61 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,009 Speaker 1: But that also means that like Samantha would have to 62 00:02:46,020 --> 00:02:46,330 Speaker 1: be 63 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,179 Speaker 1: in a position where she feels she can take charge 64 00:02:50,190 --> 00:02:52,179 Speaker 1: a little bit more of the situation, right? 65 00:02:52,190 --> 00:02:52,589 Speaker 2: I 66 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:56,869 Speaker 2: think that's perfectly normal. I guess it's normal because most 67 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:59,470 Speaker 2: times in a meeting where everybody is talking, right? Nobody 68 00:02:59,479 --> 00:03:02,299 Speaker 2: wants to take the notes. So, so it's Amanda helps 69 00:03:02,309 --> 00:03:03,690 Speaker 2: to do that. So you don't mind. I take some 70 00:03:03,699 --> 00:03:05,580 Speaker 2: notes so that all of us can have a reference. 71 00:03:05,589 --> 00:03:06,940 Speaker 2: I'll share it with you after the meeting 72 00:03:07,250 --> 00:03:09,579 Speaker 2: and when people see those notes being written down on 73 00:03:09,589 --> 00:03:11,270 Speaker 2: the screen or on a white board, I think it 74 00:03:11,279 --> 00:03:13,989 Speaker 2: helps them to come back to the agenda of the meeting. Yeah, 75 00:03:14,070 --> 00:03:17,259 Speaker 2: it helps them grow. Don't get sidetracked. Right. Exactly. Exactly. 76 00:03:17,389 --> 00:03:19,850 Speaker 2: So I think if today those meetings take place with 77 00:03:19,860 --> 00:03:22,899 Speaker 2: people outside external people and it's not so appropriate, 78 00:03:23,149 --> 00:03:25,250 Speaker 2: maybe what the man could do is to have a 79 00:03:25,258 --> 00:03:29,639 Speaker 2: debrief after the meeting with a team. You have to 80 00:03:29,649 --> 00:03:32,919 Speaker 2: say that shall we just discuss 20 minutes or 15 minutes? 81 00:03:33,050 --> 00:03:35,529 Speaker 2: What exactly do we need to do from that meeting? 82 00:03:35,539 --> 00:03:37,820 Speaker 2: What took place? What, what's your opinion and what the 83 00:03:37,830 --> 00:03:41,389 Speaker 2: deliverables that we need to do? Yeah, I think Samantha 84 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:43,610 Speaker 2: sounds like a little bit more of what we call 85 00:03:43,619 --> 00:03:47,550 Speaker 2: more enterprising, more task oriented person. She needs some clarity 86 00:03:47,559 --> 00:03:48,050 Speaker 2: on her goal 87 00:03:48,300 --> 00:03:51,389 Speaker 2: on the outcomes of the meeting. So she's very focused 88 00:03:51,399 --> 00:03:53,009 Speaker 2: on the process and the tasks. So I think there's 89 00:03:53,020 --> 00:03:55,179 Speaker 2: nothing wrong with that. I think you just have to 90 00:03:55,190 --> 00:03:57,380 Speaker 2: play that to our strengths and in a group where 91 00:03:57,389 --> 00:04:00,839 Speaker 2: everyone is a little bit more strategic or a bit 92 00:04:00,850 --> 00:04:03,279 Speaker 2: more dreamy in their discussions. So it really, really helps 93 00:04:03,289 --> 00:04:05,910 Speaker 2: to have someone like Samantha. So I think maybe Samantha, 94 00:04:05,919 --> 00:04:07,710 Speaker 2: if you are listening in, this is the time that 95 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:10,830 Speaker 2: you could perhaps step up a little bit more. Take charge. 96 00:04:10,839 --> 00:04:12,529 Speaker 2: Don't let the meetings get to you. 97 00:04:12,589 --> 00:04:12,979 Speaker 1: Yeah. 98 00:04:13,330 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, I hope that what Gerald has shared really would 99 00:04:16,209 --> 00:04:20,170 Speaker 1: give you some tips, some helpful tips. Um And if 100 00:04:20,178 --> 00:04:22,950 Speaker 1: it still doesn't, you know what, take a deep breath, 101 00:04:22,959 --> 00:04:26,690 Speaker 1: shake it off and go have your favorite drink or dessert. 102 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:28,390 Speaker 1: It's not you, it's them 103 00:04:29,690 --> 00:04:32,058 Speaker 1: write to us. And if like Samantha, you have a 104 00:04:32,070 --> 00:04:35,029 Speaker 1: burning question. We are at CN A podcasts at media 105 00:04:35,149 --> 00:04:39,969 Speaker 1: corp.com dot SG. We're also streaming on Spotify, Apple podcasts 106 00:04:39,980 --> 00:04:43,149 Speaker 1: and you can find the video version of this on youtube. 107 00:04:43,500 --> 00:04:46,540 Speaker 1: The team behind the Work It podcast is Christina Robert 108 00:04:46,559 --> 00:04:50,579 Speaker 1: Joan Chan Jaini, Johari, Saya, we Rosti Pute and Toh 109 00:04:50,589 --> 00:04:55,070 Speaker 1: Yan Yon. So, mixing by Arjun Bala video by Haida Amin. 110 00:04:55,079 --> 00:04:55,909 Speaker 1: I'm Tiffany 111 00:04:55,940 --> 00:04:57,909 Speaker 2: and I'm Gerald work it this week.