Are your meetings like cheap fiction or great literature? How would you like them to be?
Shot spontaneously in the library of his cohousing community, Craig uses this analogy to explain what great meetings can be like and how you can get the most out of them.
Here’s what Craig says in the video
Hey everybody! Hi it’s Craig Freshley here.
I was in a meeting just a little while ago and somebody said, “Would you rather that your life was like cheap fiction or great literature?” And I thought, “What a terrific analogy!” And it applies to groups and meetings. Would you rather that your meeting was like cheap fiction? Or great literature?
Now a lot of people go to meetings — even if it’s a meeting where people are supposed to be involved and make a decision — but they don’t really get involved. They kind of watch the meeting from the outside. They kind of see it as entertaining. They refer to the group as ‘they’ rather than “we.” They might take pot shots at what happens in the meeting, both before and afterwards; they’re not really involved. They’re like, treating the meeting as cheap fiction.
The thing with cheap fiction is you can kind of read the trashy novel, it goes quickly from one thing to the next, and it’s easy and okay to be distracted.
Great literature on the other hand; you are more than just entertained, you are captivated. You are pulled into the story and you come away inspired. And similarly with participating in a meeting, as if it’s great literature, you are a full participant. You are thinking of the group as “we,” not “they,” and you don’t want to be distracted. You want to be fully involved.
So if you want your meetings just to be fun and entertaining, think of them as a cheap fiction. But if you want your meetings to be meaningful and inspiring, think of them as great literature.
And if you want real drama, don’t just read cheap fiction or even great literature, fully participate in great meetings. Not only are they fun, entertaining, meaningful, and inspirational, but you get to have a say in how the story unfolds.
Thanks a lot everybody; hope you like my little analogy about how great meetings are like great literature not just cheap fiction.
