One phrase I want to drop from my vocabulary is the trite and over-used term often thrown around at the beginning of meetings by a host or facilitator who says they “want to honor everyone’s time.”
One big way to honor people’s time is not to hold the meeting.
Telling an assembled group of people you want to “honor everyone’s time” feels more and more like a throw-away line. I don’t think I’ve ever met or observed a person who intentionally created a meeting to waste other people’s time. Most people holding meetings do so with good intentions that don’t always deliver.
It’s more meaningful to me not to tell me you want to “honor my time,” but instead show me you “honor my time” by:
- Not having the meeting at all
- Providing a crisp agenda of issues to discuss and decisions to make prior to meeting
- Moving the meeting along as quickly as you can
- Making sure the meeting stays on track
- Ending the meeting early or on time
If I experience these things, my time feels honored.
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