“Promptitude is not only a duty, but is also a part of good manners; it is favorable to fortune, reputation, influence, and usefulness; a little attention and energy will form the habit, so as to make it easy and delightful.” ~ Charles Simmons
We’ve all done it: started meetings late; allowed workshops to go beyond stated end times; and come back five minutes late from breaks.
This is a pet peeve, I must admit. I’m almost always on time (or early), and it drives me crazy when others are not. It feels disrespectful to me. And yet I also understand that there are people out there for whom it isn’t a simple thing to be on time, and some for whom being chronically late is a psychological problem.
Still, if you’re teaching, being on time is critically important. “The consequences of being chronically late run deeper than many people realize, according to psychologist Linda Sapadin, PhD, author of Master Your Fears. ‘You’re creating a reputation for yourself, and it’s not the best reputation to be establishing. People feel they can’t trust you or rely on you, so it impacts relationships. It also impacts self-esteem.’”
For those of us who practice Dialogue Education, we know that a breach of trust can impact a learner’s feelings of respect and safety, two critical principles for effective learning.
So what can you do to learn to be on time, especially if you’re chronically late?
Here are some helpful tips for those who are late in many areas of their lives.
And if you’d like to practice being on time (along with a lot of other important facilitation skills!), and see good time management modeled, we’ll be doing both in our brand new 2-day Art of Facilitation course on March 8 & 9 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Here’s a sneak preview of two tips on time management you’ll get during this course:
TIP #1: The ‘parking lot’ technique can help people stay on topic and on time – without losing valuable ideas, questions, or concerns which are peripheral to the current content. By ‘parking’ them temporarily on a highly visible flip chart, you communicate the importance of these items and your commitment to addressing them . . . but not right now. You may choose to address them in a future task, in private or in the course report.
TIP #2: Running out of time at the end of a workshop is a common problem for many facilitators. Even if you have a tried-and-tested workshop design, you can get into trouble without a clear time management strategy. Some ways to do this include:
- set the time out loud for each working task;
- have a clock in sight at all times;and
- write the timing for each task in your manual and try to stick to it (practice in advance).
And here are some other tips:
- strip content out of your learning event – having too much WHAT for the WHEN (or too much content for the allotted time) is a common problem, even among people skilled at Dialogue Education;
- get in the habit of routine time checks throughout your learning event;
- if technology is involved, start 10-15 minutes early to make sure the technology works – be transparent that this is why you’re starting early;
- if you’re on time and others are not, always be a model: start on time, end on time, show up when you’re supposed to;
- don’t be afraid to end something early.
As Shakespeare said, “better three hours too soon than one minute too late.”
What has your experience been with punctuality? Leave your comment below.
Chris’s situation happens a lot in cultures that are more relationship focused than time focused. Also,for an event of more than one day,I can usually get across the importance of punctuality (and the quality of the training) during the first day,so subsequent days aren’t as much of a problem. The challenge is getting the first day to start on time. These are some of the things I’ve done to keep my cool as the clock advances with few people present:
a) On the invitation,I put at least 30 minutes for “registration”. If the punctual few arrive at the beginning of that time,I chat with them,and that gives some leeway for those who are not so punctual.
b) On the published invitation,I schedule at least fifteen minutes extra for the first activity,like a warm-up. That allows me to start fifteen minutes late and still be “on time”in terms of my schedule. I usually tell those who are present that it won’t set us too far back if we’re a few minutes late and ask their permission to wait 15 minutes for the others. If we actually do start on time,I usually have no problem later in the day to “be flexible”with the time.
c) Once the 15 minutes are up,I’ll start the first activity with those who are present. This is part of what establishes the tone for subsequent days.
d) I try to make that first activity a “bonus”warm-up activity that subsequent activities don’t depend on. If the first activity is the introductory warm-up,I would just have to back track and do introductions again when the rest arrive —that’s not helpful. But a brief activity dealing with a common topic (like what to do when people arrive late,if it’s a workshop about facilitation) rewards those who are punctual with real learning and won’t put the program off schedule. At some point,those who arrived late are invited to ask those who were present about what they missed —in that way making it clear that it’s not the facilitator’s responsibility to help late people catch up.
e) (I have also stooped so low as to provide a treat before the starting time and then put it away when we start,as a reward for those who arrive early. Not real proud of this bribery method,though. I prefer that people arrive on time because they don’t want to miss any of the learning that’s programmed!)
I love your idea in d),Leanne,to actually think through the sequence that follows so that it’s a “bonus”for those who are present and doesn’t mess things up later. Great idea.
And treats,well,yes,why the heck not? Sometimes a little bribery can go a long way.
For me I have 3 important tools:
1. I hang a wrist watch from the top ring of my binder on that page I am teaching from. I move the watch every time I turn the page.
2. I make sure there is also a large clock on the wall somewhere. Recently I bought one to take with me,in case the room doesn’t have one. I have also been known to take one from the hotel for the week…Yes,it is so critical.
3. include expectations about time in the guidelines,and stick to them. Although it is important to me that the group come up with the guidelines,I will always make sure there is something about time AND make sure we all agree on it. Then I check in on the guidelines each day to see if something needs to be adjusted or was misunderstood. If we all agree on “starting and ending on time”,I always start saying something like,“since we all agree to start on time,we are going to start. (even if everyone is not there)”
As a DE practioner,above all I feel I need to always model what I teach:respect time and timing. If I say the course finished at 3pm,I will do everything I can to do so. This is my responsibitly as an educator of other educators.
I consistently use the parking lot technique –I think it is very successful in capturing important questions and dialogue.
My suggestion:in my area of health and nutrition I’ve renamed the “parking lot”to the “bike rack!”
LOVE the “bike rack”idea,Leanne! Fabulous!
My biggest challenges around time come from wanting to deepen the conversation when it seems like it is a good productive one. I like to have the space to let dialogue flow. I especially like it when I am part of it (whole group rather than small groups). I constantly have to remind myself that there was already a good dialogue in the small groups,even when I was not part of it.
Other tips I use:
I build space into my design —I design for about 10 percent less than the time allotted. That creates a little breathing room.
I don’t publish the times for each task,just the start and end time of the day (and lunch time). I know where I am supposed to be and work to keep things moving,but I keep flexibility so that a great learning moment can be exploited.
And the one I don’t have a good answer for:While I am always in the room on time,in some contexts where I work,only 2 of the 15 people who are coming are there at the start time. That is a hard one for me. How to honor the ones who are punctual,and still accomplish the learning that we committed to? Ideas on that one?
Great suggestions,Chris,about building extra time into the design. I do that,too,and it’s ALWAYS helpful,for the very reason you mention,that it allows time for flexibility of facilitation.
I also think through in advance which tasks can be ejected without too much of a loss,so that in the event of excellent dialogue that needs to continue there’s already a plan in place for what gets omitted.
The “on time in the room at the start”question is a real tough one! I’ve done a number of things in that regard,with varying levels of success:
1) Let people know in advance that they should be there 15 minutes earlier than the stated start time. Those who are punctual I try to talk with individually to let them know when we’ll be getting started so they’re not just sitting there for 15 minutes,and I always thank them for being on time! Allows some good private conversation,too,before beginning.
2) The old herding technique –being a bit of a pest and circulating through the milling crowd as they’re getting their coffee,etc. and making an announcement (5 minute warning,people!) . . . I often do that 2-3 times with smaller time increments each time. I sometimes try to be funny and say “herding cats here”or something.
3) Ask a couple participants to help with herding.
4) If you’re teaching a long course (all day or multi-days) if you set the tone about punctuality from the get-go I often find that by the afternoon,or by day 2,people are ready to go at the stated time.
And,of course,there will always be those you can do nothing about!
Who else has tips for this one?
Sounds a bit stressful,Jim!
I think you raise an important point,that it feels easier to rush than to feel anxiety. What might it be like to feel neither?
In case you didn’t follow the link,do check out the article “Help for the Chronically Late”(http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=47924) and hopefully you’ll find something helpful there.
I am horrible at being on time. wanting to cram more in and then getting none of it done. Easier to be rushing than feeling the anxiety of whatever’s next or just not wanting to leave what I’m doing.
Maybe the simple idea of manners and being disrespectful will help me- not much else has.