翻译天堂 2016-10-01
When Your Boss Is Terrible at Leading Meetings
Few managers or supervisors have mastered the art of meetings and even fewer organizations have made it a priority. Add to that the fact that leaders are busy — and often don’t have the time to prepare adequately — and you’ve got a recipe for ineffective meetings.真正掌握开会这种艺术的经理人或主管如凤毛麟角，而将开会作为优先事项的组织更是少之又少。而且，领导们都是大忙人——哪有那么多时间为会议充分的准备——低效会议就是这么来的！
The question is, what can you do about it?
Three broad perspectives are available to you in every meeting:
You can offer to do things to support your boss in preparing, leading, and following up after the meeting.
You have a right to ask for whatever you need to be effective in the meeting.
You can choose to be responsible for the experience of other people in the meeting.
Let’s look at each of these options individually:
问题是，面对这样的情况，你能做点什么呢？
以下三大策略适用于所有会议：
1. 会前帮助领导进行准备、会中协助引导、会后及时跟进。
2. 你有权提出任何你认为可以提升会议效率的要求。
3. 对其他与会人员的体验负责。
让我们逐条解读。
1. What might you offer to do?
I love this perspective because it allows you to be supportive without making your boss wrong. A key aspect of influence is the ability to state a problem without blaming anyone. Offering to supply elements that are often missing is a powerful way to do this. Here are some things you might offer to do:
Collect agenda suggestions from the group and then prepare an agenda for your boss to review and edit
Find team members to lead the different items that are on the agenda or offer to lead the meeting so the boss can more fully focus on the conversation
Handle all of the room arrangements — and be there early to make sure it’s all set
Help bring the conversation back when it wanders away from the intended path
Notice who isn’t yet in the conversation and invite them to speak
Take notes so that a written summary can be prepared quickly after the meeting
Chart complex conversations on a white board as they unfold so the group can stay on track and see what has been said
Listen for commitments/actions that are voiced and then review these during the closing for each topic
Write and distribute a summary within an hour of the meeting ending
Stepping up and offering to do something will usually be appreciated and respected. However, we all know that our ability to speak frankly with our boss is determined by the level of trust and respect that exists between us. If your boss values what you bring to the group, you can be straightforward: “Sam, I think we can raise the quality of our meetings by doing a couple of things differently. If you agree, I would be willing to do the following…”
1.你能做帮忙做什么？
个人很喜欢这一条，因为它即能让你提供帮助，又能避免让领导出错。这就好像，要想说话产生影响，陈述问题时就不能责怪任何人。主动补足那些经常被忽略的要素就是达到这一目的的有力手段。下面这些事情也许就是你能做的：
●收集群组成员对会议进程的建议，撰写一份会议进程供领导审核修改。
●找到主持各个议题的团队成员或主动承担主持工作，以便领导能将精力集中在会议内容上。
●布置会议室——提前到达会议现场，确认准备工作到位。
●当会议偏离预定主题时将话头引回原话题。
●关注尚未发言的人，邀请他们发言。
●会议期间做笔记，以便会后快速完成书面会议报告。
●讨论复杂问题时，将内容写在白板上，以免跑题，并让与会人员明白讨论过什么。
●听取会上作出的承诺和提及的行为，每个议题完结后将这些承诺及行为重复一遍。
●会后一小时内写出会议纪要，并发给所有与会者。
站出来主动提供帮助通常会赢得别人的赞赏和尊重。但我们都知道，对领导说实话的能力取决于你和领导之间相互信任和尊重的程度。如果领导重视你在团队中的作用，你就可以直截了当，“山姆，我觉得如果有些东西能改一改，我们的会议会更有质量。你要是同意，我想做以下这些事情……“
If your boss takes offense at your offer or says, “No thanks, I’ve got it under control,” then respond with, “OK, and if you change your mind let me know. I just want to do whatever I can to support you.” None of us are as open-minded or coachable in the moment as we think we are. There is a good chance that your boss will continue to think about your suggestion during the next few meetings. Without your offer, nothing will change: with your offer, they just might.如果领导被你的建议冒犯，并且说， “不，谢谢，我心里有数。“ 这时你可以回答说，”好的，如果你改变主意就告诉我。我只想尽量协助你。“ 我们都不像自己想的那样开明和谦虚。很可能，领导虽然拒绝了你的建议，但在接下来的几次会议中却会不断对你的提议进行思考。你不提出建议，什么都不会改变；你若提出建议，就可能会改变。
2. What do you need to be effective?
What are your most common complaints about these meetings? What could you ask for that would resolve each complaint? Here are some common issues and suggestions for how you might ask for what you need.
For an agenda: I know someone who, upon joining a Fortune 100 company, made himself a promise not to attend any meeting for which there was not an agenda published ahead of time. He quickly learned that he would never attend a meeting. It’s unlikely you will be able to change a culture, but you can ask for the smaller piece that might be most helpful to you. Say something like: “Most of the time, I think we do just fine with learning what is on the agenda when we walk into the meeting. On a few topics, like the budget, however, I would appreciate knowing ahead of time so I can prepare in a way that I can add value to the conversation.”For a proper set-up for each topic: “Before we start this conversation, I’d like to know what input you are looking for from us and where you want to be at the end of this discussion.”
2.什么能让会议变得有效？
你对这些会议最大的不满是什么？要解决这些不满，你可以提出什么要求？下面列举一些常见的问题，以及如何提出要求的建议：
针对会议议程：我认识一个人，他在进入一家财富100强公司时，发誓以后绝不参加没有提前公布议程的会议。但很快他就发现，要遵守誓言，那他就再也不能参加任何会议了。要改变一个公司的文化是不太可能的，但你可以提一些对你非常有帮助的小要求。比如：“多数情况下，我们可以在去会议室的路上了解议程。但一些议题，如预算，我还是希望能提前知道议程，以便我能准备一些内容，增加讨论的价值。”要恰当地开启一个议题，你可以说：“在讨论开始前，我想知道你们希望从我们这儿了解什么，希望讨论出什么样的结果。”
For broader participation: “I realize we are a bit pressed for time, but there are a couple of people I’d really like to hear from in this conversation. So I’d appreciate if we could stay with this topic a bit longer so Sarah, Ganesh, and Tori can give us their views.”提高会议的参与度：“我觉得大家现在有点压抑，但我确实想听听某些人的想法。我们再继续讨论一下这个问题吧，听听萨拉、伽内仕和托雷的意见。”
For clarity: “I have two questions that I’d like to ask. I might be the only person struggling with this conversation, but I need to get clear on where we are with this and what we’ve said so far.”阐明：我想问两个问题。可能我是唯一对此感到纠结的人，但我还是得弄清楚我们当前的进度以及目前为止我们都说了些什么。“
To stay on track: “It appears that we are now talking about something different than what we intended. I want to check and see if we want to stay with this new topic or go back to our intended discussion.”保持话题：“好像我们现在谈的是和主题无关的事情。我想知道，大家是想继续讨论这个新话题，还是回到原来的话题。“
For alignment: “It seems the group has settled on a direction. I’d like to ensure the decision works for everyone.”确保意见一致：“看来我们已经确定好方向。但我还是希望确认大家对认同这个决定。“
For next steps: “This was a great conversation and I want to be clear about what, if anything, I need to do as a result. I would appreciate it if we nailed down what actions will be taken next and when we should have them completed.”针对下一步计划：“这此的讨论很棒。但我想弄清楚到底我需要做什么，如果有事要做的话。如果能确定下一步做些什么，什么时候做，我将不胜感激。“
Bottom-line: If you need something to be both present and productive in a meeting, find a diplomatic way to ask for it. Other people will probably be having the same experience and will welcome your initiative in asking for what you want.保持底线：如果你在会上需要一些立马能用的东西，提出请求时要注意策略。其他人可能会有同样的诉求，并会欢迎你的主动请求。
3. How can you affect the experience of other participants?
Usually we go into a meeting thinking about one person: ourselves. Fair enough, but an easy way to add value and impact in an organization is to be looking out for others.
Consider these questions:
Who is not yet in the conversation and might have something to say or ask?
Who is affected by the decision and has not yet voiced their concerns or ideas?
Who might not be able to attend and would like you to take notes or represent them in the meeting?
Who would appreciate your collaboration on small-group work that is assigned during the meeting?
What if you’re the boss?
3.如何影响其他参会者的体验？
通常我们参会时只会考虑一个人：我们自己。这当然无可厚非，但要增加自己在组织中的价值和影响，一个简单的方法就是照顾他人的感受。
想想这些问题：
●谁还没有参加讨论，但可能有想说的话或想问的问题？
●谁受到了会议决定的影响，但还没有表明他们的观点和看法？
●谁可能无法参会，但需要你记笔记或代表他们出席会议？
●进行小组讨论时，谁会感激你的合作？
If you’re the boss, and running meetings is not your forte, it’s time to consider giving up leadership for your meeting. Here’s why:如果你是领导，该做些什么？如果你是领导，而主持会议不是你的专长，那就应该考虑放弃会议的领导权，理由如下：
Organizations need effective meetings — it matters less who leads them. The ability to run meetings is a core competency, and someone in your group needs to be good at it. Even if you do have time to prepare for your meetings and your conversational style is excellent, think about who might be the best person to run the meeting. Who in your group might wish to and be ready to run future meetings for you?所有的机构都需要有效的会议——谁领导会议并不是最重要的。领导会议的能力是一项关键才能，你的团体中必须有人擅长。就算你有时间为会议做准备，就算你的说话风格超赞，你还是需要考虑谁才是最适合主持会议的人，你的团队中谁可能会希望主持会议，并有能力为你主持以后的会议。
Consider allowing others the opportunity to lead your meetings for several reasons: 给他人机会让他们为你主持会议，这一考虑有如下原因：
If you have to focus on managing the conversation, your attention is diverted from listening in a profound way.
You have the default power position already, so if you lead the conversation, you are in essence doubling up on power and control, which usually lessens participation.
Your attention to each and every person in the group matters, especially when they are speaking about something they feel passionate or upset about.
You have an organizational perspective that others don’t have. If you are participating rather than leading, you’ll have a better sense of when adding this perspective would be useful.
●如果你要管理谈话，就不能集中精力深入听取意见。
●作为领导，你自带默认权。如果再由你来领导会议，实际上就加强了你的权威和控制，进而降低与会者的参与度。
●你对每一个与会者的关注度都很重要，尤其是当他们讲到自己所热衷或愤慨的事情时。
●你有全局意识，而其他人没有。如果你只是参与，而非领导，就会更加明白什么时候加入这种全局视角才会有效。
When you add your thinking to the wrap-up for each topic, it gives you the opportunity to capture the value from the discussion and influence what happens next.
People need feedback. Sharing with them what you notice in the moment is always useful, and if you are not leading the meeting, you’re able to notice more.
●当你在一个议题结束进行总结时，就有机会提取讨论中有价值的观点，并影响接下来的讨论。
●所有人都需要反馈。和与会者分享你当时的注意到的事情，这一招总能奏效。而如果你不是会议的主持，就可以注意到更多。
I once worked with the dean of a college and his staff, and the dean’s meetings were terrible. He was a wonderful guy, but extremely busy because he was in demand across the university and across the state. He also had a slow, easy-going, detailed speaking style that made him wonderful to be with but meant his meetings accomplished little and always ran over.我曾与一个学院的院长和他的员工共事，那位院长的会议开得一塌糊涂。他人不错，但很忙，因为要兼顾大学和州里的事情。他说话时语速缓慢、态度和蔼、非常细致，这让他很好相处。但也正因为如此，他的会议总是毫无成果就草草结束。
When the group finally spoke up and asked if they could take over the design and leading of his meetings, he was thrilled. This allowed him to come in at the last minute, sit back, listen, and then add value to each conversation. Things began to move.当他的团队终于开口问他们是否能代他设计和领导会议时，他非常高兴。这下他终于可以在开会前最后一分钟才赶到现场，什么都不用管，只需要听取大家的发言，并在每一节讨论后增加一些看法即可。这样一来，情况就开始改善了。
Whether or not you’re in charge, there’s always room to improve meetings. It’s worth thinking through who’s the most effective person to lead your meetings, so the whole team can get more done.不管你是不是主持人，会议总有改善的空间。谁能最有效地主持会议，使整个团队结出更丰硕的成果，这是一个值得考虑的问题。
Paul Axtell has more than 35 years of experience as a personal effectiveness consultant and corporate trainer. He has spent the last 15 years designing and leading programs that enhance individual and group performance within large organizations. His latest book, Meetings Matter: 8 Powerful Strategies for Remarkable Conversation, was recently named a Finalist for the 2015 USA Best Book Awards.
保罗·阿科斯特尔从事个人效率顾问和企业培训师职业已超过35年。过去15年，他一直致力于设计并领导在大组织中提升个人和团体表现的项目。最新著作为《Meetings Matter: 8 Powerful Strategies for Remarkable Conversation》。
