One Way to Make Your Daily Stand up More Productive
The sitting stand up: a lockdown invention which does not work.
It is 2021, there is a global pandemic going on and home offices are the new normal thing. Stand up meetings aren’t what they used to be anymore. Because let’s be honest:
Do you even stand up during stand ups?
Exactly. You sit at your desk.
Like you do for the other X meetings on today’s agenda.
My teammates and I have a weekly one hour stand up to discuss progress and issues. Recently we introduced a change which made me look forward to Thursday mornings!
Walking stand up meetings
This is no breaking news, but rather a friendly reminder of the benefits of moving your body more. In fact, walking meetings date back from ancient Greece with Aristotle strolling while teaching his students. They are still popular today, but the lockdown took its toll on them.
What you can do instead is give up on those slides, connect your phone to audio and head out of the house.
“But we need the visuals!”
That is correct. People are hesitant because they are quick to see the drawbacks. However, things are not black and white. You can easily alternate the walking stand ups with sitting stand ups.
Why is it a good idea?
Online meetings add communication barriers. You need to compensate with a clean, non-distracting background and better presentation slides. Even so, they are still not as engaging as face-to-face meetings. Perhaps you sneakily check the time during the meetings.
I was initially skeptical about this idea. I thought I would be distracted by the surroundings, unable to focus on what I hear. In reality, because I only have audio stimuli, I can much better listen to others. As I am in a larger space than my own tiny room, my sight is focused on long-distant objects and landscapes. This allows my thoughts to run more freely than if I keep staring at my screen. Moreover, all the greenery around me boosts my mood, gives me inspiration and desire to participate in the discussion.
How to make it work?
- Decide with your team the day before if anyone has updates which require visual support. Chances are people can structure their speech such that they do not need to show graphs and numbers.
- Choose a meeting moderator. You need someone to coordinate who speaks when and ensure the meeting stays within the time limits.
- Think about your route. Try to find a quiet area, such as a park or a chill area of your neighbourhood. Traffic noise, airplanes, screaming kids are what you want to avoid in order to listen and be listened to.
- Do not forget to check the weather beforehand!
Now even when you have a sitting stand up, it is going to be more engaging, since people need to show you interesting content.
So next time you have a stand up try to propose this alternative to your peers. And of course, it does not have to be limited to stand up meetings. We can all benefit from changing things up a little bit in times like these.
