Staying Focused During Meetings
by Susan Otto
 Yes, there are times during your meeting when an agenda item needs to be like a lamp that lights an entire room. Brainstorming is an example of this expanded light. However, there are other times when the light needs to be focused…perhaps laser-focued.
You can promote greater focus in your meetings when required, by monitoring the direction the discussion as well as taking and guiding it back to the intended purpose and expected results. By doing this, you are more likely to achieve the original purpose and expected results of the meeting.
To keep the team on course or focused on the purpose, refer to the agenda. An agenda, which has been carefully planned, serves as a roadmap for staying on track. Discourage discussion of unrelated issues and suggestions, which could be dealt with better in another forum.
Your responsibility, as a team member, is to clarify information so that you can agree, or that the issue in question can be altered to get agreement. And as you know, there will be times that you may agree to disagree. Clearly stating and noting any concerns is also important to the team.
As for team members who don’t speak up, this may indicate that they are not willing to take a risk with their team. Consider the assumptions that are made in this instance.
During the discussion, remember to be open to the ideas of other team members – trying to see the vision from their point of view – one that you might have rejected on first thought. This creates collaboration, which is key to team success.
Remember to keep to the assigned time limit for the agenda item. This keeps the agenda time schedule on track and lets team members know you’re serious about their time commitment to the team.
Be sure that team members are prepared for the meeting. This keeps the meeting from digressing or going off on tangents. It also helps team members stay focused on the subject at hand.
Allow time to accurately record all decisions and action items.
To keep the meeting focused, you may also want to:
- Refer to the ground rules.
- Use close-ended questions to cut off discussion.
- Use non-verbal behavior.
Non-verbal behavior is something we should be aware of at all times during a meeting. By being aware of behaviors, you can facilitate the meeting more effectively. If you recognize confused behavior in someone, you can clarify or ask questions. If you recognize the behavior leading to conflict, you can address the issue before it escalates.
Keeping the meeting focused can be a challenge; however, the more prepared you are and the more you stick to purpose and expected results of the meeting with their pre-planned agenda items, the more effective your meeting will be. Keep your meeting focused by modeling the behavior you want others to follow. Stay focused.
(For more information on creating effective meetings, check out Meetings: A Roadmap to Success eWorkbook at www.Self-StudyCourse.com.)
Susan Otto, the president of Training-Modules.com, LLC, is committed to effectively partner with organizations and their employees to achieve strategic initiatives necessary for organizational success. Susan designs customized facilitator and participant guides for companies that want to do their own internal training. Contact her at 859.292.0095 or email her. For information about Susan’s training modules, visit the Modules section of Training-Modules.com.
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