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Topless meetings ban personal electronic devices to increase productivity and encourage face-to-face communication. This trend is not limited to the corporate world, as some universities and houses of worship have also adopted this format.
Topless meetings are a relatively new trend in meeting management. In an effort to increase productivity during departmental or managerial meetings, many companies choose to prohibit the use of all electronic communication devices for the duration of the meeting. That means no Blackberry laptops, cell phones, and handheld devices. Some companies are also choosing to ban the use of pagers even during meeting hours.
One of the main reasons for developing a topless meeting format has to do with the lack of direct communication between those attending the meeting. Rather than actively participating in meeting discussions, many attendees divide their time between listening to who is speaking and sending text messages, checking email, scheduling upcoming appointments, or even drafting text for the letters. This has created a situation where people interact more via some type of electronic device than face-to-face discussions in a boardroom or conference room.
Unfortunately, some of the tasks performed with these personal devices aren’t even work-related. Participants can send messages to family or friends or even play games loaded on the device. As technology has made it easier to connect with anyone anywhere in the world, people often feel free to make those connections in any setting, including a meeting held during business hours.
The idea of the topless meeting is to reverse this trend. By banning the use of all personal communication devices from the meeting area, there are far fewer opportunities for attendees to focus on items of action or entertainment that are unrelated to the meeting topic. With no outside distractions to divert attention, there’s a greater chance of actually accomplishing something in the meeting.
The idea of a topless meeting is not limited to use in the corporate world. In addition to the office environment, some universities also ban the use of these same devices in the classroom. By not allowing students to constantly text, surf the Internet, and play games during class, there is less opportunity for class disruption and more opportunity for the student to take notes and learn something from the instructor’s presentation.
Some houses of worship have also adopted a topless meeting format to expedite planning sessions and committee meetings. In some faiths where the sound of a cell phone ringing or the beep of an instant messaging software program has become common during worship times, leaders are urging all attendees to turn off cell phones and leave other devices At home. As with the office environment, the idea is to bring attention back to what is happening in the live meeting and encourage people to actively participate in the proceedings.
In a world where everyone seems to regard the use of electronic communications in any context as an intrinsic right, topless dating may seem like an extreme measure. However, we must understand that the topless meeting is not a restrictive situation, but a liberating one. By being able to put away all electronic devices for a short period of time, it becomes possible to do something too many people have forgotten how to do: talk to each other face-to-face.
