WorkPlay
Meetings Are Infested With Rabbits
How to prevent these adorable pests from wasting everyone’s time
I used to sit through painfully unproductive meetings. These meetings ended late, rarely completed anything, and wasted the precious time of overworked professionals.
Then I discovered the cause.
Every meeting we attend is infested with rabbits.
What’s a Rabbit?
A rabbit is a person who takes the meeting conversation down a meandering trail in the forest of distraction. The new discussion exceeds the meeting’s agenda, scope, or purpose.
Often the rabbit brings up an important idea or a legitimate business concern that warrants further discussion. It may start as an attempt to clarify confusion between two people. Or someone answers a question, triggering a conversation about related tasks or projects.
What turns your chatty colleague from a beneficial contributor into a wascally wabbit is not the quantity of speech. Rabbits are enthusiastic and well-intentioned professionals trying to contribute but need more situational awareness.
How to identify Rabbit Trails
Ask these two questions:
Does this topic need to be discussed right now?
Does this topic concern everyone in the room?
If the answer to either question is no, rabbits run wild!
Phrases you may hear
I’ve said this before, and [insert soapbox]…
I know we should be talking about [current agenda topic], but what I really want to know is…
The problem with my [team, department, company, customers, society] is …
Rabbit Trails are contextual and can pop up anywhere without warning.
When the Rabbit Trail begins, most meeting attendees notice. No one may challenge the speaker directly, but you see body language cues recognizing the derailed train.
The difficulty in leading effective meetings is not identifying Rabbit Trails. It’s having an appropriate response to end distractions quickly.
The Rabbit Shooter
The best way to stop the influence of these adorable pests is to hand a coworker a Nerf blaster and darts to target those persistent pests. ¹
Is Nerf blaster a trendy business-speak metaphor like synergy, or let’s circle back? Nope.
If you want your in-person meetings to end on time and stay on task, assign a trusted employee to propel foam darts at colleagues violating meeting rules.
What the Rabbit Shooter does
The Rabbit Shooter hunts for rabbits. They participate fully in the meeting on high alert for anyone who detracts from the objectives.
They place the dart toy on the conference room table, where all meeting participants can see it and understand its significance.
If anyone in the meeting meanders around unproductive dialogue, the Rabbit Shooter pops them with a foam dart. ²
Why this works
The darts are a safe form of immediate feedback. Interrupting a colleague when they violate agreed-upon meeting norms is challenging enough that most employees won’t take overt action. This role adds an element of play and laughter to situations that can be tense or trigger a fear response.
The toy is also a physical reminder that violating the meeting rules will be addressed decisively. When the rabbit notices the Rabbit Shooter reaching for the toy, they may self-correct behavior before a dart needs to be launched.
The role also allows psychological distance from the individual performing the corrective behavior. The rabbit cannot blame the Rabbit Shooter personally for the redirection.
One of my favorite things to do is to assign the Rabbit Shooter role to the person most likely to lead others off into the forest wonderland. With their attention on hunting rabbits, they catch themselves wondering much earlier in the trail. The irony also causes a good laugh for attendees when the Rabbit Shooter saves face by turning the blaster upon themselves.
How to start
Obtain the toy. Many parents wouldn’t mind their child’s Nerf collection disappearing for a few days. Find a creative workaround if the accounting department questions the purchase as a legitimate business expense.
Before your next meeting, include Rabbit Shooter as one of the meeting roles on the written agenda. Assign the role to a willing participant who will not abuse their micro authority.
Explain the role and the responsibilities at the start of the meeting when you review the meeting roles and objectives.
If a rabbit appears and the Rabbit Shooter fails to act, give a polite prompt.
“I think we might be going down a rabbit trail. Rabbit Shooter, will you please perform your duties?”
They may need reassurance from the leader before choosing to follow through with the responsibility.
What to avoid
Do not use a dart toy that closely resembles an actual firearm.
Do not target the face or other sensitive areas.
The individual selected for Rabbit Shooter must be responsible, trustworthy, and not a bully.
Take away
Improve the productivity of your meetings by designating a Rabbit Shooter. It’s easy, fun, and effective.
Footnotes
¹ I have no affiliation with Nerf or any other manufacturer of dart toys.
² The Rabbit Shooter may be uncomfortable firing a dart directly at a coworker. An alternative is to fire upwards at the ceiling. It has the same desired effect.
Mark Suroviec, M.Ed. is on a mission to restore joy and purpose to the workplace. For more information, please visit workplaysolutions.com.
