Would you like to spend less time in meetings? An article in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that sit-down meetings were 34% longer than stand-up meetings, yet the quality of their decisions was no better.
Stand-up meetings tend to be more focused. They send the message, “We’re here to make a quick decision.” When people remain standing it seems easier to finish and leave when the decision has been made. Lazy people who wouldn’t contribute anything anyway are less likely to attend. And it may even reduce obesity as we burn more calories standing than sitting.
Obviously, stand-up meetings are not a replacement for all sit-down meetings. But if the church committee can meet in a corner of the auditorium after the morning service and come out with the same result as calling everyone back for a Tuesday evening meeting, you can free Tuesday for family time and eliminate another commute to church.
Remember, in church or business, make sure your meeting time redeems the time.
Rick Grubbs is best known as the host of “Redeeming the Time,” a one-minute radio program featured on hundreds of radio outlets around the world. He has spoken thousands of times on Biblical time management in all 50 states and 26 other countries. He is the author of the book “Morning Momentum: God’s plan for launching an unstoppable day”. He and his wife Carrie live in Salisbury NC with several of their 12 children.
