What are you watching?

I’ve stumbled on a great way to start a meeting.

Recently, on a long journey to one, I was listening to some amazing music by an artist who inspires me. It made me wonder what the people I was about to meet were listening to, watching or reading, so when we were all together I asked them.

It took about ten minutes to go round the room, each person sharing what they were into. It really broke the ice and got us off to a great start. Two of the people, who had worked together for years, were truly surprised to learn something new about each other. Their subsequent banter enlivened the rest of the meeting. All agreed it was productive.

I have since asked “what are you listening to, watching or reading?” in several meetings, and the effect is the same. In the process I have picked up loads of recommendations for TV series and bands I’ve never heard of. Interestingly, it seems hardly anyone reads books. It’s too time consuming, according to those in this small sample.

So what about you? What are you listening to, watching or reading?

As for me, I’m listening to the album “Popular Problems” by Leonard Cohen. I came across it only recently, and I’d never heard of him before, even though he’s been recording since 1967. It’s amazing. He released it in 2014 when he was 81 years old. How inspirational is that!

As for watching, I’m two episodes into “Breaking Bad”, season one. It’s a bit weird, but I think I’m enjoying it. The characters are brilliant.

And I have just finished reading “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” by Milan Kundera. This is a beautiful though challenging novel by one of my favourite authors. I’d recommend it to you if you are into people, relationships, and are up for being moved.

In these recent meetings I’ve also asked people how often they take time to get to know the others in the room. The answers are usually “never”, “only when you’re here”, “we normally get straight down to business”, and “we should do this more often”.

If this resonates, maybe start your next meeting by asking “what are you listening to, watching or reading”, and then notice the energy go up as people make connections with each other and ease into the business of the meeting.