Effective Collaboration: The Essential Elements of Productive Work Sessions

The role of the B2B marketer is more challenging than ever. While a marketing director may be responsible for everything from the organization’s online presence to a trade show booth, leading a project doesn’t always equate to owning every decision. Everyone from the product manager and R&D to sales and the CEO may need (or want) to provide input on an initiative. And without buy-in from all stakeholders, projects can go wrong—or just nowhere.

Here are a few common examples:

• The website desperately needs redone, but no one can agree on a direction so the project is stalled.
• Marketing has measurable goals and must show an ROI, but sales isn’t on board so a campaign goes nowhere.
• There’s a big new product launch and no one’s ideas on the key messages align.
• Everyone wants more content, but no one can agree on priorities or find the time to produce it.

So what’s the solution? Let’s get everyone together and have a big meeting! (Groan.)

Meetings don’t solve problems. Collaboration does.

While B2B marketers know the importance of collaboration, making it happen isn’t easy. Effective collaboration requires planning and preparation. And while it takes more time to plan and prepare, it can result in better ideas, consensus, ownership and clear next steps.

My recent UX Booth article, Effective Collaboration: How to Design Work Sessions that Work, explains the key elements for how to bring diverse people together and have it be productive.

Whether working with C-level stakeholders, cross-functional teams or customers, learning the essential elements of designing collaborative meetings will ensure the outcome is action. And not just another aimless meeting.

Read the UX Booth article.