Are Topless Meetings a Good Idea?

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  AristonCC03/26/08 Report as spam
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  Extend to Blackberries?

  I've heard from the CIO of our company that the owner will somtimes sit in ops meetings and just look at his Blackberry. Now granted, he's the owner so he can do whatever he wants, but those meetings are supposed to guide the company in the direction of growth. For we IT folk, having our Blackberries is crucial in case of emergencies, but the other managers shouldn't need them while in meetings.

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  Sennodge03/27/08 Report as spam
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  RE: Are Topless Meetings a Good Idea?

  Yes and no.
  
  Yes, for some of the reasons mentioned, I always advocate turning off mobile phones etc during meetings.
  
  No, because I use a Tablet notebook to take notes during meetings, but I am using the pen, not the keyboard, so it's as silent as someone else taking notes on paper.
  
  I must admit it is tempting during check email etc during a boring meeting!

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  smbrockman03/27/08 Report as spam
  3

  RE: Are Topless Meetings a Good Idea?

  Absolutely... get the toys out of the room (except for the IT notification piece mentioned above). Shorten meetings if need be, but people can do w/o laptops and PDAs. If a laptop is used for active notes capture, it should be obvious by how fast they're typing and that they're engaged. Other than that use, you're likely surfing or multi-tasking at which point either you shouldn't be in the meeting or it's not being run well (e.g. too long, no agenda).

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  fumcsecty03/27/08 Report as spam
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  RE: Are Topless Meetings a Good Idea?

  We have become so tuned to our electronic devices that we're losing old fashioned skills, such as listening and taking paper notes. When I am busy on the laptop (or PDA), I am concentrating on getting the substance of the discussion into the system. Therefore I am missing the substance of the discussion. I think the ban would depend upon the purpose of the meeting. Or the organizer could call for laptops open or closed depending upon the agenda. It work topless or not - or both. The organizer can have a great deal of input and control in this situation, as long as the ground rules (and reasons) are explained up front.

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  Durv03/30/08 Report as spam
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  RE: Are Topless Meetings a Good Idea?

  Perhaps the problem is that most meetings are a waste of time. In many meetings the focus is on a manager talking, and others speaking only briefly, some with input, others with useless "Good idea, sir!" comments.
  Many managers and salespeople place great value in face to face communication, but many engineers and others do better in written form. Don't dismiss that.
  I love a forum discussion. No one person can dominate by speaking louder or longer. Shy people can give input. I tend to come up with better ideas if I can think about it a few minutes.
  Require participation if you must. Otherwise some busy people may not make time to even check in.
  So the answer may be an all-laptop meeting.