Shorter meetings as sign of improved collaboration

Photo by Tony van den Boomen

Since October last year I have been working with a facilitator of a community of practice using online media as well as face-to-face meetings. When we planned our first meeting we took more than an hour longer than planned. Yesterday we had a meeting and finished half hour earlier!

We reflected that this is logical, since in the beginning you have to get to know eachother, test ways of working. When you have an idea, you are careful not to impose this idea. Now we are interumpting eachother, or objecting to ideas and comfortable that the other will say what she thinks.

More effective meetings may hence be a sign of a healthy developing collaboration. It's intriguing that we still underestimate this need to develop a new collaborative relationship.