What is your game within the game during meetings - Viewpoint Viewpoint careers advice blog

What is your ‘game within the game’ during meetings - Viewpoint “Game within the game” is an expression that comes from sports. It refers to the fact that athletes are committed to always improving as they play. This is different from just  practising. It’s about consciously  choosing to focus on one aspect of their performance during their game. If you have ever played or watched sports, you have probably seen the same principle applied at half-time. In each game, the coach will give some advice to apply during the second half, whether it’s getting back faster on defence, passing the ball quicker after receiving it or maintaining the proper distance from team mates. The same principle applies to our working lives I love this idea of practising while playing. And I really like the idea of mapping this idea into areas of our life other than sports. In our lives both inside and outside of work, our sense of well-being is centred on learning and getting better.  And getting better takes deliberate practice. It requires picking out something to focus on and then working on that behaviour until it becomes instinctive. Choosing something to work on in life is key to improving performance. Working on it intentionally for two weeks will make it natural, intuitive, and available to you every day. So, when I conduct training sessions, I always have something I’m working on in order to improve. For example, over the last month, I’ve worked on speaking slower; being clearer, and stopping more frequently to ask the group what value they are getting from our conversation. What’s your game within a game during meetings? Here’s my question: What is your ‘game within the game’ during meetings? Our conversations at work are just as important as those which take place on the sports pitch, yet it’s not often that we think about getting better at conversations and meetings. The truth is that in the world of meetings, we’re not generally given much time to practice and improve our performance.  We’re just expected to go out there and conduct an effective meeting. So, here are my top tips for you stepping up your ‘game within the game’ during meetings: Notice who is not yet in the conversation and invite them to share Set aside technology and be fully present Keep the conversation on trackâ€"adhering to the agenda End each topic with specific actions and assign those actions Call on people gently and strategically if you want their input Following on from this, the below actions from Geoff Colvin, author of Humans are Underrated, will also help you reflect on your performance before and during the meeting: Before the meeting, say to yourself “this what I’m going to focus on” In the midst of the meeting, step outside of yourself and say, “Alright, how is it going? Am I doing what I intended to do? What am I learning? What is happening?” Then, and this is really important, afterward, take time to reflect back, “How did I do? Did my actions match my intentions?”   For example, If you intended to ask more people to comment on each topic, did you?   Then use that knowledge to decide what you should be intentionally doing differently next time.     If you need more practice on the current idea, stay with that idea.   If you feel like you’ve mastered one idea. Pick a new idea. So, try to focus on your weaknesses and strengths in leading and participating in meetings, not just before and afterwards, but also during. Adjust your ‘game within a game’, and apply your learnings as you go along, because that is what will make you great. If you found this helpful read our other career management and progression blogs: How to get more out of the meetings you attend 5 ways to improve your problem solving skills Why it’s okay to decline that meeting invite 7 ways to communicate confidence