๐ฉBLUF: Bottom Line Up Front๐ฉ
Elaborating on a previous session, we had a lot of fun exploring the use of hand gestures in meetings and left feeling energized during a 60-minute session with the Butter community.
โWe talked about our favorite hand signals, and how many of them are universal, but some represent different things across cultures.
โIncluding more hand gestures in meetings can increase attention, make them more engaging, emphasize verbal communication for more impact, and more!
๐ฉSession๐ฉ
The meeting began with instructions for breakout rooms, where participants would spend seven minutes in groups of three or four and then share their takeaways once back in the main room. The topic of favorite hand signals and their use was discussed, including the different meanings of hand signals in different cultures. Feedback and reflections on hand signals as a form of communication were shared, with a focus on making online meetings more engaging and interactive. The session also included introducing the Butter community project and an overview of the Butter interface and features. Participants brainstormed and developed hand signals for emotions and requests, followed by sharing and presenting their hand signals. The meeting ended with positive feedback and closing remarks.
Action Items
Develop a list of hand signals for emotions and requests - All participants
Incorporate hand gestures in a skit or role-play activity - All participants
Explore the use of hand signals in a conference or series of events - All participants
๐ฉ Takeaways๐ฉ
The meeting concluded with expressions of gratitude from the facilitators and positive feedback from the participants. The importance of inclusion and accessibility in meetings was highlighted, with suggestions to use hand signals or interpreters for people with hearing impairments. The idea of implementing hand signals in conferences or events was discussed, with potential benefits and challenges considered.
Meetings can be boring and uncomfortable. Especially if you're unengaged or feel like a disruption whenever you'd like to contribute. We discovered that integrating hand signals into a team's meeting culture requires significant behavior change. However, adding a few strategic hand signals like 'I have a counterpoint' or 'I'd like to add on to that point' to meeting ground rules improves the quality of participation and conversations.
โOne gesture can say more than 1000 wordsโ
โMake virtual session more fun and more alive!โ
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Objective
The objective of the meeting was to explore the use of hand signals in online meetings and to brainstorm and develop hand signals for emotions and requests.
Summary
The meeting began with instructions for breakout rooms, where participants would spend seven minutes in groups of three or four and then share their takeaways once back in the main room. The topic of favorite hand signals and their use was discussed, including the different meanings of hand signals in different cultures. Feedback and reflections on hand signals as a form of communication were shared, with a focus on making online meetings more engaging and interactive. The session also included an introduction to the Butter community project and an overview of the Butter interface and features. Participants engaged in brainstorming and development of hand signals for emotions and requests, followed by sharing and presenting their hand signals. The meeting ended with positive feedback and closing remarks.
Action Items
Develop a list of hand signals for emotions and requests - All participants
Incorporate hand gestures in a skit or role play activity - All participants
Explore the use of hand signals in a conference or series of events - All participants
Closing Remarks
The meeting concluded with expressions of gratitude from the facilitators and positive feedback from the participants. The importance of inclusion and accessibility in meetings was highlighted, with suggestions to use hand signals or interpreters for people with hearing impairments. The idea of implementing hand signals in conferences or events was discussed, with potential benefits and challenges considered. The participants expressed their excitement for future sessions and said goodbye, looking forward to the next meeting.