1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to try nested meetings. By having meetings 4 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: back to back involving some but not all, of the 5 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:32,840 Speaker 1: same people, you can meet much more efficiently. Perhaps you've 6 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: seen a set of nesting dolls somewhere. One pretty painted, 7 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:42,199 Speaker 1: larger doll opens up to reveal a smaller one. You 8 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: open that up to reveal a smaller one, and so forth. 9 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 1: It's a whimsical concept in a toy, but when it 10 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: comes to meetings, it is a smart one. Here's what 11 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: I mean. Let's say, like many organizations, that you have 12 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: an all staff meeting at one point, you also meet 13 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: with smaller teams. To envision this as nesting dolls, the 14 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,040 Speaker 1: all staff meeting would be the biggest one. Everyone is there. 15 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: Maybe the next smallest doll is the program meeting, which 16 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: includes senior leaders and program staff, but not the receptionists, bookkeepers, 17 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: and other support folks. The final doll, smaller still might 18 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,399 Speaker 1: be the senior leadership team. To set this up as 19 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 1: nested meetings, you might start with the whole staff at 20 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: nine thirty am. Then when that meeting is done. Let's 21 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: say it ten fifteen. The support staff leaves and the 22 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: program meeting begins. The big doll is opening up to 23 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: reveal the second doll. Maybe that program meeting ins at 24 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: and everyone except the senior staff leaves. You address any 25 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: topics you need to in that group, and say your 26 00:01:55,240 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: goodbyes BYT or so. By nesting meetings like this, you 27 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 1: have just had three meetings in one meeting block. You 28 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: only needed to wait for latecomers, spend time on team building, 29 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: and do your chit chat once, and then you got 30 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:18,079 Speaker 1: your business done. Nobody was stuck in a meeting that 31 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: didn't pertain to them. Even people who were in all 32 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: three meetings spent way less time in meetings than they 33 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,800 Speaker 1: would have if there had been three separate meeting blocks, 34 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: each with time waiting for latecomers and with time lost 35 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: to transition. With less time devoted to meetings, you have 36 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:41,079 Speaker 1: more time to get going on implementing the great ideas 37 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: that you developed in those meetings. You can picture the 38 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: same idea with parallel department meetings. If you have a 39 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: whole staff meeting, you can then immediately break up into 40 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: different working groups or departments, right after a board could 41 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: split after the whole board meeting into individual committees. People 42 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,519 Speaker 1: only have to travel once and there has only been 43 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: one meeting block. The main idea is that by reducing 44 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: the number of distinct meeting blocks anyone has on their calendars, 45 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,640 Speaker 1: you reduce the total amount of time in meetings and 46 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: transitioning to and from the meetings without reducing the time 47 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: for collaboration. That sounds like a good idea to me. 48 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and 49 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:43,200 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 50 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 51 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 52 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod 53 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 54 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 55 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: podcast at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled 56 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look 57 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production 58 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 59 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,799 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 60 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.