Three things that will drive your meeting off the rails

It’s common knowledge among facilitators that running an effective public meeting is 90% planning and preparation and 10% "in-the-moment" techniques. Because dealing with conflict and outrage in the moment is very difficult, most of the work we do involves months of planning and preparation.

Sometimes circumstances don’t allow us to do the necessary strategy and preparation. Sometimes we are pulled into an engagement process mid-way through. Sometimes we are asked to facilitate a meeting in which we had no input on the timing, venue, invitations, or agenda. And sometimes, despite good preparation, meetings can still go awry.

I’ve facilitated plenty of meetings that did not go as planned. These days, I don’t see going off the rails as a failure. I now see it as a moment of opportunity. For a facilitator, it's an opportunity to show that I'm listening. To be authentic. To find a true breakthrough.

A meeting is not going off the rails if you’re simply a few minutes behind on the agenda. Likewise, a little bit of confusion, skepticism, questioning, and conflict are usually okay. It takes time to learn the difference between a normal amount of uncertainty and and total disaster. But here are three things to look out for in a meeting.

#1: Letting the 15-minute presentation go for 45 minutes

We’re often our own worst enemies when it comes to keeping a meeting on track. Nothing will drive your meeting off the rails faster than allowing a speaker's PowerPoint to drag on for 45 minutes. The longer you make people sit through an extended presentation, the more time there is for frustration to build up in the room.

Try this instead

First and foremost, try to limit the length of any presentation during prep and planning. But also be ready (in the moment) to interrupt at the 15-minute mark if you notice the speaker still has a bunch of slides remaining. Yes, this person might be your boss or your client or an elected official. But without intervention, a long presentation can put your meeting at risk. Try a simple "I need to jump in here for a time check. We have five more minutes of presentation and then we need to move onto discussion.” Believe me, everyone in the room will thank you.

#2: Trying to wear two hats

In any public meeting, there are two key features: (1) the content and (2) the process. The content is the substance of the discussion, such as a streetscape project, a new community center, or a proposal for affordable housing. The process includes the how the meeting will unfold: The agenda, group activities and other structures designed to enable discussion.

A content expert is someone that provides technical information needed to help participants discuss the decision. This person is often an engineer, scientist, economist, or policymaker. A facilitator, on the other hand, is in charge of the meeting process, such as following the agenda and guiding the discussion. Too often, we expect the content expert to wear two hats: to be the person who also "runs" the meeting.

Wearing two hats can put your meeting at risk. It's very difficult to be a credible facilitator if you’re also the content expert. That's because it's very difficult to maintain the neutrality needed to be a good facilitator.

If you are content expert trying to facilitate a meeting, it may appear to participants that you are taking a position on the content. Participants may feel you're trying to lead them to a certain conclusion and as a result, they are less likely to trust that you are working in the best interests of the group. This can lead participants to challenge your authority.

Try this instead

Consider a third party facilitator. Someone who doesn’t have a direct stake in the outcome. This person doesn't need to be a professional facilitator. But it should be someone who can establish his or her neutrality early in the meeting and gain the trust of participants. That person's role is to guide the discussion, uphold the agenda and ground rules, and make sure the meeting runs on time.

#3: Ignoring the heat

Facilitators refer to emotion, tension and conflict in a meeting as “the heat.” A certain amount of heat is a good thing. Without it, meetings are incredibly boring and unproductive. But when heat is ignored, it can overpower your meeting. You run the risk of sending your meeting into chaos. (see my recent blog post about how to vent some of the heat before you begin a meeting). The occasional grandstanding or grumbling in the crowd are not signs your meeting is going off the rails. But if you’ve made a few unsuccessful attempts to bring the meeting back to the agenda, it might be time to let go of it so that you can address the immediate needs in the room

As the person facilitating the meeting, you need to decide when to call a time out. I use my own senses as a gauge. The hot cheeks, the sweaty palms, the pounding heart. That’s the right time to take stock.

Try this instead

Turn off the projector. Count to twenty. Then acknowledge what you are observing. Maybe it’s something like, “I want to point out what I’m seeing right now. I sense frustration in the room and I’d like to pause the meeting so we can address it.” You can ask for a show of hands from anyone who feels frustrated. Invite a few of those people to say more about why. Write down what they say on a white board or butcher paper. Ask “what else are we missing?” Usually once you’ve taken a few minutes to hear people out, it will become clear what needs to happen next. But if not, don’t be afraid to put the question back to the room: “How can we fix this?” or “Where do we go from here?” You might not get through your original agenda. You might have to schedule another meeting. But that probably would have happened anyway. Most people will appreciate that you created an authentic moment. That you listened. And you might be surprised what kind of breakthrough you create.

Please note: Safety is always the first priority. These techniques may not be appropriate if you feel physically threatened or fear for the safety of your team or any of the participants in the room. Always be sure to have a safety and security plan for meetings when there is controversy and/or potential for opposition and outrage. 

Check out my blog for more public engagement tips and techniques: https://hoplands.com/