Hey, I enjoyed your talk!
I was wondering if you can expand on how to approach suggesting improvements to meetings? It can be really daunting to make those kinds of suggestions as an intern or junior dev that has just joined a team.
Hi Nad, in case you missed the live panel, I'll answer your question here:
This is influenced by the individual's personality and the culture of the environment. But that aside, there are some things you can do. If the improvement you want to see is personal and directed as an individual - for example, the meeting organizer is not prepared and it has negatively impacted the efficiency of the meeting - you should give this feedback privately in a 1-on-1 conversation. Give them direct, timely, but tactful feedback. Remember to center your speech around their work and not make it about them as a person. If your improvement is related to the meeting itself or a process, you can consider saying these sorts of things in the meeting if you are afraid to come across to "my way or the highway": "How difficult would it be to implement [this suggestion]. I'm finding it [how you feel given current processes]" OR "How does everyone feel about [this current process]. I'm find it [how you feel given current processes]. Would it help anyone else if [suggestion]." This way you frame your feedback around the success of the team and not just something that bothers you. If you are not comfortable giving the feedback during the meeting, that's OK too. 1-on-1 feedback is also valid. You can talk to the meeting host who controls the structure of the meeting. You can also talk to your manager, if you believe they will advocate for you on your behalf. Let me know if you have any follow-up questions :)
Hey, I enjoyed your talk!
I was wondering if you can expand on how to approach suggesting improvements to meetings? It can be really daunting to make those kinds of suggestions as an intern or junior dev that has just joined a team.
Hi Nad, in case you missed the live panel, I'll answer your question here:
This is influenced by the individual's personality and the culture of the environment. But that aside, there are some things you can do. If the improvement you want to see is personal and directed as an individual - for example, the meeting organizer is not prepared and it has negatively impacted the efficiency of the meeting - you should give this feedback privately in a 1-on-1 conversation. Give them direct, timely, but tactful feedback. Remember to center your speech around their work and not make it about them as a person. If your improvement is related to the meeting itself or a process, you can consider saying these sorts of things in the meeting if you are afraid to come across to "my way or the highway": "How difficult would it be to implement [this suggestion]. I'm finding it [how you feel given current processes]" OR "How does everyone feel about [this current process]. I'm find it [how you feel given current processes]. Would it help anyone else if [suggestion]." This way you frame your feedback around the success of the team and not just something that bothers you. If you are not comfortable giving the feedback during the meeting, that's OK too. 1-on-1 feedback is also valid. You can talk to the meeting host who controls the structure of the meeting. You can also talk to your manager, if you believe they will advocate for you on your behalf. Let me know if you have any follow-up questions :)
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question here as well Thuy =)