29th
Pacing
Used “pacing” to speed up a meeting and get it wrapped up in 20 minutes instead of stretching to the full hour. Twitter / evilmark
The long version (> 140 characters):
Pacing is a neuro-linguistic programming technique where you match and then lead or set the pace of a conversation.
My first “proper” job was in telephone technical support. When callers get through, they are irritated. They have a problem that they have tried and failed to fix themselves, then been forced to wait in a queue to talk to somebody who can help them. I understood that. We were taught that the fastest way to calm down an irritated caller and focus on fixing the issue is to start by matching that person’s mood and pace, and then adjusting it.
There’s no voodoo to it.
So, what I did at the meeting was to take command of the lethargic pace and turn it up to a West Wing-like fast-paced discussion.
What helped me, in this particular case, was a clear agenda with a defined start point and end point for the meeting, and the fact that I was talking with subject matter experts.
