How do you use questions to get more from your meeting?

1 Before the meeting

Before scheduling or attending a meeting, it's important to ask yourself some key questions to determine the purpose, scope, and agenda. These questions may include what the main objective of the meeting is, who the key stakeholders and decision-makers are, what the expected outcomes and deliverables are, how much time and resources are needed for the meeting, and what methods and tools will best facilitate it. Answering these questions can help you define the scope of the meeting, identify the relevant participants, and prepare the necessary materials and equipment.

2 During the meeting

During the meeting, you should use questions to engage the participants, stimulate their thinking, and guide the discussion. For instance, open-ended questions can elicit opinions, ideas, and feedback; closed-ended questions can confirm facts, data, and decisions; probing questions can explore deeper issues, assumptions, and motivations; and clarifying questions can check understanding and avoid confusion. Such questions can help create a productive dialogue, elicit valuable information and insights, and ensure alignment and consensus.

3 After the meeting

After the meeting, you should use questions to evaluate the results, follow up on the actions, and solicit feedback. For instance, evaluative questions can measure the effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction of the meeting by asking "Did we achieve our objective?" or "How well did we use our time and resources?". Action-oriented questions can assign responsibilities, deadlines, and resources for the next steps by inquiring "Who will do what by when?" or "What support do you need to complete this task?". Additionally, feedback questions can collect opinions, suggestions, and improvements for future meetings with queries such as "What did you like about the meeting?" or "What can we do better next time?". These inquiries can help assess the impact of the meeting, ensure accountability and progress, as well as enhance your meeting skills and practices.

4 Throughout the meeting

Throughout the meeting, you should use questions to adapt to the changing dynamics, needs, and expectations of the participants. For example, you can ask check-in questions to gauge the mood, energy, and engagement of the participants such as "How are you feeling today?", or check-out questions to acknowledge their contributions, achievements, and learnings such as "What did you learn from this meeting?". Additionally, meta-questions about the meeting process, format, or rules can be asked such as "Do you have any questions about the agenda?" or "How do you feel about the way we are conducting this meeting?". Asking these types of questions can help create a positive and supportive atmosphere, foster rapport and trust, and optimize the meeting experience.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?