We have all seen people in charge of a meeting who act like a traffic cop, giving the floor to this one and then that one without synthesizing or drawing conclusions. You may also have had the unpleasant experience of attending a meeting or an event during which powerful voices clash with one another and the rest of the participants are bystanders as personal agendas are played out.
Thus, a second important requirement for good meetings is skillful facilitation. The meeting chair needs to know how to facilitate the interactions between the people in the room in such a way that it reduces negative dynamics and helps people to listen to each other’s ideas in a respectful manner. We need meeting chairs to help people build on each other’s ideas rather than diminish them and draw people together around common goals and/or a shared vision; a goal or a vision that requires everyone’s good ideas, not just those from a few powerful and loud-voiced individuals.
Participation does not happen by itself, it needs to be structured
Think about structure: self-selected groups versus assigned groups, which depends on how much trust or safety there is in the larger group; working in small groups allows for parallel processing (several groups working on the same task in parallel). If you do this, make sure you budget adequate time for group presentations. Include time for individual thinking time (the introverts and minorities in the group will thank you for that). As a rule of thumb start with individual thinking, then paired sharing or sharing in a small group, then large group sharing. This ensures that everyone contributes independent of gender, rank and status.
Flow and rhythm
We are most creative when there is a flow/rhythm that allows all parts of us to be engaged: our intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual sides. Thus plan for activities that engage the brain, the heart, the spirit and the body. Refer to deeply held values, acknowledge/vent emotions, make space for passion and excitement, use visuals, music, and have people move; sitting still for hours is not natural for human beings.
Learn how to ‘read’ a group
Recognize when people are getting bored or restless, notice when people walk in and out of the room a lot or are focused on their cellphones or computers. It is a sign that they are not fully engaged and find other things more important. It is a piece of data for you. Become more comfortable with silence; recognize signs of sleepiness in your audience, tension (nervous laughter, eye-rolling). Pay attention when too few people speak too much. Recognize whispering and side conversations as a sign of something else going on. Ignoring all this is at your own peril.
When in doubt about what is happening, ask!
Share your perceptions, concerns, hypotheses of what might be going on with the group or simply state – something is not right, please help me. If you were right you can enlist the group to address the issue; if you were wrong, move on, in each case you have created a break which was obviously needed anyway.
Support each new activity with visuals which spell out objectives and tasks (if any)
Some people need that kind of structure, even if you don’t. It can also serve you as a road map for the duration of the event.
Provide hand-outs
Tell people up front that you will give them copies of the slides or relevant materials. Some of this needs to be presented before the meeting, some at the beginning and some at the end. Think about this because there are choices to be made. Sometimes, when people are busy taking notes they become passive participants. In that case it is better to provide handouts with the text of slides so they don’t have to copy text from slides.
Make a habit of doing a reflection at the end of your gathering
Whether a short meeting or a multi-day workshop, conduct a reflection at the end: review what you did, what you decided and check how people felt about the process an accomplishments. Make sure you budget adequate time for this - don’t sacrifice this to save time!
Off track/recovery
Use the focus question (see part 1. Design) to refocus the discussions or deliberations when you see people going off track. Frequently look at the question (posted clearly on a flipchart or on the agenda) to make sure the group remains on track. Ask yourself if what you are doing now will get you to an answer or decision (assuming that is what you want). If you realize that the conversation is going off on a side topic re-read the question and, if you are not sure what to do, ask for help in getting back to the focus question.
Use a ‘Parking Lot’ for off-topic but important issues that arise.
A parking lot is an empty flipchart posted on the side where you can write topics you cannot discuss in the time available. You temporarily ‘park’ them there. Make sure that you agree on what to do with these topics (when and where to revisit them) in your closing reflection. If you are not doing that then there is no point in writing the topics down.
Unscheduled breaks
If you feel you have lost control of the groups (chaos) or when someone has hijacked the meeting, or if you are confused about what to do next call a 5 minute stretch break and consult with trusted colleagues on how to proceed.
Time budget
If you commit to starting and ending on time it means you have a fixed budget of hours and minutes, not one that can stretch endlessly into the afternoon or evening. Plan for late starts and afternoon energy ‘dips’ as you prepare your time budget.
Norms
Norm setting at the beginning of an event is only a good use of time if you make the group responsible for enforcing them. When people use abstract terms such as ‘respect each other’ ask them what that means and how it would manifest itself to avoid the ritual of mindless norm setting. Avoid becoming the enforcer yourself, or having a junior person identified as enforcer as they can never confront senior people with transgressions. Avoid monetary sanctions. This usually punishes the low power people as no one dares to exact fines from senior ones; besides you now have a problem of cash and who will manage it. Sometimes people will suggest that late comers dance or sing, but this tends to be enforced for a while and then no longer. The best remedy for late comers is to not wait for them before starting. If your event is exciting enough they will soon realize that they are missing out by coming late.
Be a model
Be a model to the group with regard to all stated norms. Check them regular to monitor yourself. Arrive at the venue before anyone else, start and end on time for breaks and closing. In workshops, if people keep coming in late, make it a topic of discussion and come to an agreement.
The flow of the conversations
Standing with your back to a dominant speaker sometimes helps to silence her/him; similarly walking up to, or standing right in back of a shy person sometimes draws them out. Standing in front center makes you the leader and conversations will always go via you; withdraw to the side, squat or sit down between the participants will redirect the flow of conversation between participants.
Changing perspectives
You can change dynamics and people’s perspective by asking them periodically to sit someplace else in the room. This will also break up clusters of friends or colleagues and provide opportunity to meet or get to know others.
Use the wisdom that is in the room
Although you may be the meeting chairperson, the boss, the director, head trainer or facilitator, you can never have all the answers and you don’t need to have all the answers. Asking good questions is a thousand times more useful than given an answer to every question. When asked a question throw it back at the questioner or ask someone else n the group if they know. There is often more knowledge and wisdom in the room than we recognize.