FAQ3: Running a meeting

A: Follow these rules:

1. Freewheel – get creative and think outside the box
2. Suspend judgement – don’t evaluate any suggestion, being critical just slows the flow
3. The more ideas the better, however wacky they are
4. Capture every idea – make sure everyone can see all the ideas (this can be a bit tricky in a videoconference)
5. Build on ideas previously proposed – often the best ideas are evolutions of earlier left-field suggestions

A: You should test all the equipment shortly before the meeting (but with enough time to fix things if there are problems).

It’s a good idea (even if the system is working properly) to ask everyone to wear headphones to minimise audio feedback and to mute their microphone except when making a point (especially in larger meetings).

If you start a meeting knowing the systems are unreliable, you can ask everyone to minimise the use other applications during the meeting to boost performance. You could also try switching to audio only as that takes up less bandwidth.

If the problem is limited to one or two participants, you could ask them to leave the conference and arrange for them to be briefed/consulted once the meeting is over. However, you would need to defer any decisions/action points requiring their input until you’ve spoken to them.

If things deteriorate to a level where you can’t have an effective meeting you should either try a different videoconferencing app or postpone the meeting until after any problems can be fixed.

A: You should test all the equipment shortly before the meeting (but with enough time to fix things if there are problems).

If you start a meeting knowing the systems are unreliable, you can ask everyone to go on mute except when they need to talk – this is good practice even if the system is working properly (especially in larger meetings). Also ask anyone who can to wear headphones to minimise audio feedback.

If the problem is limited to one or two callers, you could ask them to leave the conference and arrange for them to be briefed/consulted once the meeting is over. However, you would need to defer any decisions/action points requiring their input until you’ve spoken to them.

If things deteriorate to a level where you can’t have an effective meeting you should either try a different phone system or postpone the meeting until after any problems can be fixed.

A: You could say something like “I think that was xxxx speaking, am I right?” or “Sorry, I couldn’t hear who was talking”.

If it’s a large meeting where most participants won’t recognise each others voices, you could ask all contributors to announce who they are before they make their point.

A: Use phrases like “OK, I understand, let’s hear what xxxx thinks” or “That’s great, what does everyone else think?”

You may also need to ask some of the less-talkative people directly for their input or go round the participants for comments in strict rotation.

You might want to set some ground rules for how long people can talk before moving on to the next person.

A: The most obvious point is to have a clock in your line of sight. It’s a good idea to have allocated times for each item on the agenda and then you can track of how well the meeting is keeping to time. It’s also important to correct any time-keeping problems as early as possible – you don’t want to arrive at the last few minutes with a lot of things still to discuss or decide on.

In larger meetings, it may be worth appointing someone (other than the chair) to keep track of time and give them authority to speak up if time-keeping starts to slip.

Also beware a version of Parkinson’s law – if people notice they are ahead of time in a meeting, there’s a tendency to digress or waffle just so the meeting keeps going until its allotted finishing time. Try to avoid dragging out the meeting longer than is necessary as it’s fine to finish ahead of schedule – in fact many participants will be glad of extra time for other things if you do finish early.

A: Keep each topic discussion fairly brief, around 15 minutes works well for most topics. If you find a discussion is getting bogged down, you should try summarising, seeking agreement to any decisions required, and allocating actions. In the case of more technical/specialised discussions it might be useful to form a sub-group who can resolve specific issues and report back to the next wider group meeting.

Also, follow good time-keeping practice so you know when you need to move on to the next topic.

A: It’s usually best to appreciate their contribution, summarise your understanding of their points, and then go on to say something like “So what else can we do about xxxx ?” (and be specific about the points you want them to address).

If you think they’ve partially answered the points, you could say something like “Great, that’s A sorted out, what about B and C?”

A: It’s usually best to ask everyone for a contribution, and you could mention that you would like to hear from those who haven’t spoken much (without naming names).

If that doesn’t work, you could ask some of the less-talkative people directly for their input, especially if you’re expecting them to make a contribution on a certain topic. Another option is to ask each of the participants in turn for comments.

Be careful that you don’t make participants anxious about contributing, particularly if they are new to the group and/or the topic is outside their area of expertise.

A: It’s usually best to be fairly direct and say something like “Can we let [first speaker] finish, and then you can make your point”.

A: Ask everyone to focus on the outcome rather than personal issues, and to look for points of agreement rather than division. Also ask everyone to avoid using emotive words.

If that doesn’t work then you could take time out and speak individually to those in conflict and try to find out the cause of the problem. If you can’t do that, you might ask those in conflict to hold back and/or skip any contentious topics so you can complete the rest of the agenda – then try to resolve the issues outside the meeting.

A: It’s important that any intervention is firm, but not aggressive – you don’t want to make things worse. However, you need to confront whoever is ignoring the agreed etiquette and not let it pass, otherwise everyone else will think that etiquette is optional.

You should remind the meeting what has been agreed on etiquette and point out whoever is not following the agreed protocol. When confronting the problem, don’t criticise the person but make it clear that their behaviour is unacceptable. Also try to give them some positive feedback – e.g. point out where they have been following the agreed standards. It will also help if you can collectively find better ways of working in the meeting, being ready to amend the etiquette if everyone can agree on any improvements.

A: You should focus on the outcome and what you need from the meeting.

It can be quite easy to drift from being firm and assertive into being pushy and aggressive. Try to avoid this and focus on what you can do together as a team. And whilst you want to remain friendly, try not to be too chummy.

So it’s a fine balance, but it’s a skill that can be learned and improves with practice. Don’t forget to ask for feedback from your subordinates, as acting on their feedback will help you improve your skills.

A: You need to help other participants challenge the received wisdom and support anyone who is feeling pressured to conform.

Don’t forget that one of the most dangerous phrases in business is “We’ve always done things that way”. So, if you’re in a brainstorming or problem-solving meeting you should encourage freewheeling and creativity.

It might help to break the meeting into smaller groups – each of the sub-groups are likely to develop their own distinct ideas.

Also, beware of any individual dominating the discussion so that everyone else follows their lead – you could ask individuals or small groups to critique that person’s proposals.

A: This can be a problem, particularly if there are no agreed ground rules for the meeting.

The chair is nominally the person who should run the meeting. If the chair seems unwilling and/or unable to control the meeting when a third party tries to take control, it is the responsibility of the other attendees to support the chair and regain a sense of order. If this is not successful (and depending on the rules of the organisation), it might be appropriate to adjourn the meeting and reconvene when there is a consensus on how to proceed.

A: Usually the best way to deal with a contentious issue is to confront the problem and not avoid it.

This can be difficult and uncomfortable, and one of the main will be the feelings of those involved. So, you may need to confront risky interpersonal issues and doing this effectively is a skill most people have to learn and develop. And don’t be afraid to ask for help from the other attendees.

A: Understanding cultural differences is the first, and probably most important, step in avoiding potential conflict. The chair will need to respect any cultural differences and have empathy for the various cultures represented.

A: For in-person meetings room layout can be very important, particularly for larger meetings.

One of the critical factors is the seating arrangement. A circular arrangement conveys an impression of equality amongst the participants. Having a lectern or desk in front of rows of seats confers power onto the person occupying it. To a lesser extent, the person at the head of a rectangular table has an implied higher status. Long tables mean a half the attendees can’t see each other well and can be a barrier to communication. Separate tables might help collaboration around a table but tends to break the meeting into separate groups. A horseshoe arrangement can be effective provided everyone is seated round the outside.

Which arrangement you can choose may be limited the size and shape of the room. Other factors that you should take into account are lighting, acoustics and ventilation.