Member-only story
Abandon the Agenda
Sometimes it’s better to abandon the agenda. Yesterday I facilitated a virtual coffee chat for a small group of our recent new hires. The purpose of the meeting was to create an opportunity for the group to get to know each other better and to build stronger relationships.
Prior to the meeting I had researched and pulled together a handful of ice breaker questions. As the meeting got underway, I quickly realized we didn’t need them. The meeting was scheduled for 30 minutes, and we ended up chatting for a little over an hour.
As the facilitator, I just pulled on every thread people laid out, and let the group run with it. The conversation covered a wide range of topics. We chatted about coffee, local coffee shops, restaurants, food recipes, the best barbeque in town, public transportation, and a bunch of other random topics.
I was surprised at how engaged everyone was. After the meeting ended, one of the participants who just happened to be in the office next to me said it was the best meeting she’s attended in the 2 months she’s been with the organization. That made me smile.
The biggest takeaway I had from this experience, is that sometimes, the best thing you can do is simply bring people together and let the experience unfold organically. In this situation, relinquishing control and structure is exactly what was needed.
