30 April 2020
In the 1960s, executives spent an average of 10 hours a week in meetings: now it’s closer to 23. Yet we still haven’t mastered the art of meeting well. By employing clever facilitation techniques and managing tricky attitudes, we can turn a time drain into a productive teamwork tool.
The first 30 seconds of a business meeting are the most important in determining what you’ll achieve and how. From no mobile phones to majority rules, set out how the meeting will run and how actions will be agreed to establish your credibility from the get-go.
Everyone needs a reason to be at a meeting, just as they need their voice to be heard. Prevent one or two people dominating the discussion by introducing paired and small group discussions, and using a variety of facilitation techniques to keep attendees engaged.
Surface-level discussions are circular, unproductive and frustrating for everyone. Use clever questioning to draw out unsaid tensions and open up richer seams of debate. Ask not just what people know about a topic but their judgments of it, how they could apply that knowledge to current challenges and how they might combine it with other viewpoints.
Effective online communication can be accomplished by using concise and clear language. By choosing the right communications platforms and adhering to general rules of ‘netiquette’ (a framework for accepted behaviors) your team may be more likely to respond positively.
Creativity guru De Bono uses six different ‘hats’ to evaluate a situation: facts, emotions, negatives, positives, creative possibilities, and big-picture thinking. Encourage participants to move together between these stances to ensure all viewpoints have been considered before drawing conclusions.