How to lead better meetings.

When meetings go wrong

I’ve been through a lot of painful meetings over the years. Some of them drag on without clear end or goal. Others hop from topic to topic without resolution. In the worst meetings, I think I’m invisible.

Lots can go wrong when you get a bunch of emotional creatures together in a room. Amazingly, the examples I share above have rarely happened in my meetings at Medium. It’s one of the things I love most about working here.

It’s not that we’re magical human beings. Anyone can get distracted or overly excited to push their point. At Medium, we’ve addressed that by appointing facilitators to help us make the most of each meeting.

Why facilitate?

I love well-facilitated meetings because they are:

• more effective, so you (and everyone else) can make the most of your time.
• more inclusive, because the loudest person won’t dominate the room.
• more fun. You’re digging into challenges, identifying what can actually get done, and moving on.

Here are a couple of typical meeting challenges and ways to overcome them.

Challenge: dull meetings with low engagement

This might be an afternoon meeting that never ends, a standing meeting that always runs over time, or a necessary but boring gathering.

Facilitation techniques:

• Set a time limit for each section. If something is close to going over, reference what’s next.

We’re cutting into Kyle’s time. Can we wrap this up so he has a chance to speak?

• Bring attention to everything else in agenda
• Drive discussions towards an action item

I’d like to make sure we cover everything on the agenda. Is there a next step we can take on this, for now?

• Identify & stop isolated conversations. Be ware of times when just 2 or 3 people are conversing.

This conversation seems to be mostly between Ben and Andi. Can you continue it elsewhere and share an update with us over Slack?

• Add some energy: music, trivia, snacks. Get refreshed with a standing meeting or a goofy stretch break!

Challenge: a few people dominate the meeting

When faced with serial interrupters who drown out thoughtful, pensive colleagues.

Facilitation techniques:

• Interrupt the interrupter. Establish listening and respect as values.

Joe was talking. What were you saying, Joe?

• Reiterate this value of hearing from everyone the start of the meeting.

I want everyone to have the chance to speak. If someone gets cut off, I may interrupt and direct the conversation back to them.

• Let people know how they can get up to speed after the meeting.

That’s background info. Talk to Kaitlyn after the meeting to get up to speed.

• Drive issues towards an action item. Revisit actions from the previous weeks’ meeting.

What can we do outside of the meeting to move this forward?

• Make space for quiet people to speak up. Look for body language that indicates when they may want to talk.

Sam, was there anything you wanted to add? No pressure.

Challenge: conversation isn’t focused

A meeting with too many jokesters, no clear goals, or low participation.

Facilitation techniques:

• Set scope of meeting and remind room

We’re going to give a short overview now. You’ll have a chance to give feedback in the second half of the meeting.

• If the room goes off-topic, refer back to the visible agenda.

We were talking about SEO. The discussion has shifted to diversity. Is the point about SEO resolved?

• Standing next to a visible agenda, make a show of crossing items off halfway. Sometimes I add a touch of humor, clearing my voice with dramatic flair.
• Make sure computers are closed at the start of every meeting. We think we can multi-task, but we can’t.

I’d like our time to be focused. If you have something you need to do on your computer, please go outside and return to the meeting when you’re ready.

• Stretch break, of course.

It takes practice

Facilitating great meetings might look effortless. Don’t be fooled! Reigning in a rambler and keeping pace is tough stuff.

But it’s learnable. And everyone can start by being aware of group dynamics, whether or not you’re a designated facilitator.

I recently led a workshop on facilitating. Coming up with facilitation ideas — like those you see here — was easy for everyone. Actually doing them (via roleplay) was quite a bit harder.

So don’t just read this; practice it. Say it in front of a mirror. Role play with a trusted colleague. Write these prompts on the back of your hand, or take this story to your next meeting.

If you do, you’ll see your colleagues become more engaged. They’ll trust each other more. The introverts on your team might come alive with invaluable contributions. Your team will get more done, your time together will feel more satisfying, and you might even end your meetings early.

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