5 tips for dealing with meeting overload | The Way We Work, a TED series

Transcriber: Leslie Gauthier Reviewer:

Have you ever reached the end of what feels like a grueling workday

翻译人员: Yan Gao 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

你体会过吗，工作一天精疲力尽，

only to realize you didn’t actually accomplish anything?

却发现其实没有任何成果？

That it was just meeting after meeting

这一天全都是开会啊，

after meeting after meeting after meeting --

开完一个会，又一个会，又一个会——

[The Way We Work]

【我们的工作方式】

(Music)

（音乐）

As a recovering corporate executive,

我作为返聘的企业高管，

I know we all feel like our time isn’t our own,

我知道，大家都觉得时间不属于自己，

like other people are controlling our calendars

好像是别人在掌控我们的日程，

and we’re simply reacting to their whims.

我们只能被牵着鼻子走。

But calendar creep isn’t inevitable.

但“日程超载（Calendar creep）” 是可以避免的。

There's so much in the world we can't control.

世上有太多东西是我们无法控制的。

We can’t control our senior leaders,

我们不能控制自己的上级领导，

we can’t control our customer demands,

不能控制客户的需求，

and we certainly can’t control a global pandemic.

当然也控制不了全球的疫情。

But we can actually control our time,

但是我们其实可以控制自己的时间，

we’ve just forgotten how to do it.

只是忘了该怎样去控制而已。

I’ve come up with five, easy-to-implement steps

我想出了很容易实施的五个步骤，

that can take your calendar from working against you

它们可以让你的日程不再牵着你走，

to working for you.

而是为你服务。

And they really work.

并且这些方法真的管用。

We worked with a big global company

我们与一家很大的全球公司合作过，

and asked some of their leaders to put these tips into practice

让管理层的一部分人实践这个方法，

while others didn’t.

而其余的人不做任何改变。

And guess what?

你猜结果如何？

The leaders who used these steps saw significant hours open up

使用这些方法的领导们

on their calendars

日程表上竟然空出了很多时间，

for, you know, actual work.

他们有时间做实际的工作了。

Tip number one:

第一个方法：

Ask yourself, “Do you really need the meeting?”

问自己：“真的需要开这个会吗？”

We’re under the illusion that we need a meeting for everything.

我们有种错觉是，什么都需要开会。

We think “I need to make sure so-and-so is OK with this

觉得“我必须确保这部分能这样这样，

so I’ll book time.”

那我约个会议时间吧。”

Or “I’ve got a quick question on process, I’ll grab a meeting.”

或者是“流程方面 我有个问题，约个会议吧。”

The reality is for almost half of the meetings we schedule,

真相是我们约的会议里 近乎半数是

we could simply pick up the phone or shoot a text for a quick answer.

可以通过打电话或发短信解决的。

A trick to stop this:

改变这种状况的诀窍：

when you’re thinking of calling a meeting,

在你想要找人开会时，

write the invitation first.

先写一份会议邀请。

And if you can’t start with a subject line with an action verb,

如果写不出带执行动词的标题，

you shouldn’t have the meeting.

就不应该开这个会了。

“Decide, finalize, create next steps.”

“决策、定稿、创建行动计划。”

Those are reasons to call a meeting.

那些才是开会的理由。

“Review,” on the other hand, isn’t an action verb.

反之，“评估”并不是执行动词。

If you're calling a meeting to review something,

如果你想开会评估某事，

send it out ahead of time

可以提前把它发出去，

and schedule a 15-minute meeting for questions.

并约个 15 分钟的会议来搜集提问。

That should get Joe to finally read the deck.

这样大家就会认真看PPT的。

Related to that action verb,

关于执行动词，

if you’re going to call a meeting

如果你要召开会议，

you should be able to create a clear purpose statement.

应该能起草一份清晰的会议目标。

“In this meeting we’re going to decide boom, boom, boom.

“这个会上我们要对A、B、C做出决策，

Come prepared.”

请在会前做好准备。”

You don’t need a whole agenda;

不必写出全部会议安排；

nobody’s going to read it anyway.

反正也没人看。

But that purpose statement is enough so that when you start,

而在会议开始时， 那份会议目标应该足够充分，

everybody is sitting up, paying attention and focused on the goal.

让每个人认真、投入地专注在这个目标上。

Tip number two:

第二点：

invite the least number of people possible.

参会的人尽可能少一些。

Let’s be honest,

老实说，

most of us invite people to meetings defensively.

多数人邀请别人开会时心存戒备。

We know that Raco’s the one we need

明知道需要的只是 Raco ，

but if Dion doesn’t feel like he’s involved,

但如果 Dion 没有参与，

he’s going to be cranky,

他会找麻烦的，

so you invite him and then Shannon and then Jane.

所以你邀请了 Dion， 以及 Shannon 和 Jane 。

And now we’re wasting all of these people’s time

最终我们浪费了所有人的时间，

instead of just going directly to the decision maker.

却没有直接找决策者。

It’s time to let go of those grade-school fears

是时候丢掉那些学生时期的恐惧了，

and just invite the people who are necessary for the objective.

只邀请对目标有用的人吧。

Everyone else can be informed later.

开完会后，信息再同步给其他人就好。

Let’s also agree it’s OK if we’re not invited to everything.

我们也要明白，有些事不必参与。

Research has found that the optimal size of a decision-making meeting

研究发现，决策性的会议，

is around five to eight people.

最佳人数是五个到八个人。

Any time you're inviting more,

只要你邀请的人超过这个数，

you're making it less likely you'll achieve your goal.

就是在降低实现目标的概率。

Tip number three:

第三点：

make your meetings shorter.

会议时间短一点。

If you want your time back,

如果想拥有更多自由时间，

ditch the hour-long meeting.

就不要让会议持续一个小时那么久。

I schedule 30- and 45-minute meetings.

我的会只约 30 分钟或 45 分钟。

That’s it, period.

就这么长，没商量。

Full stop.

必须这样。

That gives people time to digest,

这能给别人充分的时间去消化，

figure out next steps,

想明白后续的行动，

then take a breath

可以休息一会儿，

and maybe, I don’t know, go to the bathroom.

还可以，可能上个厕所吧。

It stops that horrible snowball of lateness

这样可以杜绝没完没了的迟到，

that rolls downhill over the course of a day.

避免在一个挨一个 连续推迟的会议中度过整天。

Tip number four:

第四点：

say no to other’s people’s meetings.

拒绝别人的会议邀请。

We’re in the habit of saying yes to every meeting we’re invited to.

我们深陷一个习惯， 被邀请就要参加。

Often we show up out of fear of missing out, or worse yet, ego.

去开会往往是不想被落下， 甚至是因为自负。

Neither of those is a reason to spend your precious time in a meeting.

但这两点都不值得你 把宝贵时间花在开会上。

A better way to decide:

如何更好地决定参不参加：

Ask yourself, “Is my opinion absolutely vital to the purpose of this meeting?”

问自己，“我的意见 对这个会议绝对关键吗？”

Even better, “Does this meeting move my goals,

更好的问题， “这个会议能推进我的目标吗？

my team’s goals or my customers’ goals forward?”

能推进我团队的目标？ 或者我客户的目标？”

If not, just say no.

如果都不能，就拒绝吧。

Now I know what you’re thinking:

我知道你在想什么：

it’s hard to say no to a meeting.

很难拒绝会议邀请啊。

But it really isn’t.

其实真的不难。

Simply tell the organizer the truth.

只要把真相坦白告诉邀请人就好。

You know that they’ve got this,

你知道他们能搞定，

and if they need you,

如果需要你，

simply give you a ring.

就打电话喊你好了。

You can also use the opportunity to delegate the meeting

你还可以利用这机会，把会议委托给

to a high performer or subject matter expert

更出色的同事或专家，

who may be a better choice anyway.

让更合适的人去参加。

You can even simply let them know you have other priorities that week

你还可以直接说， 这周有更优先的事情要忙，

and ask if your attendance is necessary.

询问他们，是不是必须要你参加。

All you need to do is communicate with honesty and clarity.

只要你诚恳并清楚地沟通，就可以的。

Tip number five:

第五点：

be ruthless with your time.

坚守自己的时间。

As any flight attendant will tell you,

就像空乘人员说的，

you have to put your own oxygen mask on first.

必须先把自己的氧气面罩戴好，

It’s the only way you can be at your best for others,

然后才有能力帮助他人。

so give yourself time to do the things you need to

所以，把时间花在自己身上，

in order to feel like a human being.

做一些只为自己而做的事情。

That includes scheduling blocks of uninterrupted time

比如划出不能打扰的整块时间，

to focus on your own work.

专注在自己的事情上。

If you have a project that going to take you 10 hours

如果你要做一个项目，

of really focused time and effort,

需要非常专注地努力干活 10 个小时，

schedule that time in your calendar.

就在你的日程表上划出这 10 个小时。

Try putting in “no-fly zones” two hours a day,

可以试着每周都有几天，

a few days a week,

每天安排两个小时的“禁飞区”，

at whatever time you’re at your most productive.

选在你效率最高的时间段。

You don’t have to make these changes in a vacuum,

你不需要偷偷摸摸地做这些改变，

like it’s some kind of secret.

好像什么秘密似的。

You can tell people that you’re trying something new

可以告诉别人，你要尝试新东西了，

and taking control of your calendar.

已安排好了自己的日程表。

And you do not have to do everything at once.

你也不需要一次 就把所有的事情都安排好。

Simply pick one idea and try it.

只需选一个方法，尝试一下。

People will not only understand it,

别人不仅能够理解你，

but they’ll appreciate it.

还会欣赏你的做法。

So the only question left is:

那么只剩一个问题了：

Do you have the courage to own your own calendar?

你敢不敢掌控自己的日程表呢？

I think you do.

我觉得你行。