The Ideal Team Meeting - Is There Such a Thing?

From a variety of readings and from observing lots of meetings, I've gathered that teams that function well together usually demonstrate certain characteristics during their interactions in a meeting (this has been called ‘good meeting hygiene’): 

1. When one team member is speaking, the others allow the person to finish, and not interrupt the speaker.
   
2. The person who is speaking keeps his or her comments brief and to the point, and does not monopolize the discussion or ramble.
   
3. Team members allow other colleagues to participate in the discussion. Before they make a comment, they pause to see if anyone else wants to say something. They do not dominate the discussion by making comments repeatedly.
   
4. Team members pay attention to the discussion and participate in it, listening with attention to what the others are saying. They do not have side conversations when others are speaking or discussing a point. They do not take mental excursions when others are speaking.
5. Team members are not busy checking their email or surfing the web during the meeting. Meetings of highly functional teams often go ‘topless’ (no laptops or Blackberries or PDA’s are used in the meeting).
   
6. When team members challenge each other’s decisions or points of view, they do so with respect and curiosity. They do not use sarcasm, criticism, or harshness. They do not make judgmental comments or snide comments.
7. When a colleague is presenting an idea or a point of view, other team members hear it through and give it due consideration. They do not immediately jump to criticizing it when the colleague starts speaking.
8. Team members are willing to engage in discussion with others whose view may differ from their own. They do not avoid engagement, deflect such engagement, or just have brief ‘skirmishes’ of engagement with other team members that are cut off quickly.
9. They create a space that makes it comfortable for others to disagree with them, instead of cutting off discussion with strong or confrontational statements.
   
10. Every comment made or viewpoint offered takes the discussion forward constructively, towards the ultimate decision or conclusion. Comments do not undermine or sabotage a discussion.

The important question of course, is, how often do teams in healthcare settings demonstrate these behaviors? My guess is, not very often. Unfortunate.