Meeting Support Institute

Human beings just aren’t hard-wired for traditional meetings. Katherine Simmons talks to professor Ib Ravn, who evolved the format to create a natural environment for communication.

In previous articles in the Anatomy of a Meeting series, we’ve delved a little deeper into the failings and the foibles of the adult learner. We have a concentration span of just half an hour if we are lucky and if we’re talked at too long without being asked our opinion, we’ll probably just rebel and ignore whatever the speaker says anyway.

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No doubt many of us have all experienced a situation where, after long hours of trying to solve a certain problem, we give up, and go get a break, only to come back and solve the problem within moments. This appears to be a somewhat commonplace situation. However, the science behind it is much more complex.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Amazon.com Review
Arguably the best book ever on what is increasingly becoming the science of persuasion. Whether you're a mere consumer or someone weaving the web of persuasion to urge others to buy or vote for your product, this is an essential book for understanding the psychological foundations of marketing. Recommended.

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology
The materials in Cialdini's Influence is a proverbial gold mine.

Book Description   Influence: Science and Practice is an examination of the psychology of compliance (i.e. uncovering which factors cause a person to say “yes” to another's request). Written in a narrative style combined with scholarly research, Cialdini combines evidence from experimental work with the techniques and strategies he gathered while working as a salesperson, fundraiser, advertiser, and in other positions inside organizations that commonly use compliance tactics to get us to say “yes.” Widely used in classes, as well as sold to people operating successfully in the business world, the eagerly awaited revision of Influence reminds the reader of the power of persuasion.

The American Robert Cialdini is professor in psychology and marketing at the Arizona State University. He is seen as the global authority in influencing.At conferences, that is what we try to accomplish: influence participants so they change behaviour and have an impact. Cialdini has defined six principles of influencing others, of which a few can be applied as techniques during meetings and conferences. The most interesting one is the commitment and consistency principle. You can read more about this and the other 5 principles in the book “Influence, the psychology of persuasion” (see books in the MSI KNOWLEDGE BASE).  The commitment principle is easy to apply at meetings.

Put the record on when presenting someone a cabernet Sauvignon, Rock will do. The wine will be more robust and taste stronger than if presented with no music. The same wine will taste much milder when enjoyed with a romantic ballad.  Listening to music can influence the taste of wine. ‘Cognitive Priming’ lies at the base of this effect, according to researchers at the Heriot-Watt University of Edinburgh. Specific music stimulates specific areas in the brain and when the brain gets additional stimulation by the taste of the wine, both sensations, influence each other: the wine tastes differently.

Heavy conference ahead with early committee meetings and late night “networking” events? Try sleeping more than usual in the weeks prior to the conference.  Research by the American Sleep expert Tracy Rupp with 24 subjects makes her concludes that you can accumulate sleep for ‘use’ in periods of ‘scarcity’.Half of the test group had to be in bed 10 hours a night for a week and the other half 8 hours. After that week, they all got a 3 hours sleep regime for a week followed by a 8 hour a night five day catch-up period.What was the result?

Use natural light.
Whenever possible, try to arrange for meetings (or breakout sessions) outside the classic four-wall meeting room. Windows that let in natural light keep people energized and contribute to mental stimulus. "Windows make a huge difference in our ability to think big and be open-minded" .
For example, on a wintry February day someone was hosting a creative idea session in a room with large windows on three walls. Winter snow on the surrounding fields made for a scene out of Currier & Ives, which became even more memorable when two baby goats nosed up to the windows looking for handouts. The experience sparked a variety of fresh ideas. When the weather is good, small groups can meet outdoors, even poolside, to stimulate creative thinking and allow attendees to breathe in fresh air.
This article is just an example of how the industry believes that daylight is important.

Who We Are
Based in Washington, DC, the American Psychological Association (APA) is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in the United States. With 148,000 members, APA is the largest association of psychologists worldwide.

www.psychologiemagazine.nl

This Dutch monthly magazine has, in every issue, 4 to 10 topics that are applicable in meeting architecture.
For the Dutch speaking meeting professional with an interest in psychology, sociology, cognitive science and neurology this is a great resource.
Every issue publishes research results, short versions of theses,  and articles from international publications like Nature, Monitor on Psychology and more.