Tips on Meeting Facilitation
by Laurie Wilhelm
When you’re leading a meeting, it’s up to you to ensure the conversation stays on track, the time allotment for discussion is followed, and that everyone gets a voice. Here are a few pointers on meeting facilitation that may come in handy:
State the Goals
All attendees need to know and understand what is to be accomplished at the meeting. State what these are at the outset so everyone knows the objectives and direction of the conversation so that when the meeting is over, they’ve spend their time well and accomplished what they set out to accomplish.
Stay on Topic
It’s easy to drift off topic or get too involved in one area at the expense of another. Your job as the facilitator is to ensure that an appropriate amount of time is spent on each topic and avoid allowing attendees derail the discussion and get off point.
Ensure All Attendees Are Heard
There often seems to be one person who dominates the discussion, has all the answers, or wants to be the center of attention. Set ground rules so consideration is given to all attendees and all are required to speak and all are required to listen. When one person dominates the conversation, it stifles creativity by not allowing the ideas and suggestions of other participants to be heard
Include the Quiet Participants
Further to the above point, some people are more quiet than others and they require some encouragement to share their ideas and points of view – especially when someone is dominating the discussion. As the facilitator, be aware of the need to actively include attendees to speak up by simply asking them.
Listen Well
Facilitators have to listen well not only to keep the discussion on track but also to pick up on any other messages that a participant is communicating. Recognize that it’s not just what people say, but how they say it. Listen to the tone of others, watching their body language, facial expressions, gestures are all ways to communicate that contribute to what the person is meaning.
Facilitation is a skill that is useful for any manager. It leds to either an effective meeting where participants feel like the accomplished what they set out to do or a disjointed and confused meeting where participants feel like they’ve wasted their time. Take some time to consider how you’ll approach and manage a meeting before it begins so you can get the most out of the participants.
photo©iStockphoto.com/laflor
