Facilitating Awesome Meetings

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Meeting facilitation is a critical leadership skill that’s often overlooked. Excellent meeting facilitation means that the attendees know why they’re there, they get equal participation time, and your meeting’s goal or deliverable is achieved in a timely and productive way.

Transcript

1. Facilitating Awesome Meetings larahogan.me/meeting-facilitation/
2. Think about the worst meetings you’ve been in.
3. Think about the BEST meeting you’ve been in.
4. (I LOVE FACILITATING MEETINGS)
5. • • • Folks are happiest in meetings when:
6. Facilitating ≠ leading. Separate those roles.
7. Facilitator Leader Both
8. facilitators
9. AS A FACILITATOR: Optimize for efficiency. Optimize for fairness. Read the room.
10. As a facilitator: Make meetings efficient.
11. Typical meeting objectives: • Disseminate information • Gain alignment/surface issues • Make decisions
12. MAKE MEETINGS EFFICIENT: • progress •
13. MAKE MEETINGS EFFICIENT: • progress • decisions important content
14. MAKE MEETINGS EFFICIENT: • progress • decisions important content asynchronous
15. MAKE MEETINGS EFFICIENT: • progress • decisions important content asynchronous synchronous
16. overestimate https://hbr.org/2015/04/no-that-meeting-could-not-have-been-an-email
17. Objective Sync exam ples Disseminate information • Share context-heavy updates Gain alignment/ surface issues • Resolve open questions • Name blockers, assign owners Make decisions • Identify and make decisions
18. Objective Make progress outside of the meeting Sy nc examples Disseminate information • Gather feedback • Gather more data • Share context-heavy updates Gain alignment/ surface issues • Brainstorm • Write talking points • Resolve open questions • Name blockers, assign owners Make decisions • Schedule deadlines, meetings, etc. • Identify and make decisions
19. Objective Make progress outside of the meeting Make decisions, share context in the mtg Disseminate information • Gather feedback • Gather more data • Share context-heavy updates Gain alignment/ surface issues • Brainstorm • Write talking points • Resolve open questions • Name blockers, assign owners Make decisions • Schedule deadlines, meetings, etc. • Identify and make decisions
21. Objective Async Sync Disseminate information Gain alignment/ surface issues Make decisions Decide on ~3 principles
22. Objective Async Sync Disseminate information Share language updates w/ teams Share ideas Gain alignment/ surface issues Gather feedback from teams Surface teams’ disagreements Make decisions Draft ideas
23. • homework assigned • sharing • make decisions/iterate
24. MAKE MEETINGS EFFICIENT: Who • What • How Long
25. 2/9/2021 Meeting Agenda • • •
26. Sarah Max Ben WHO
27. • FYI: • Discussion: • Decision:
28. FYI Discussion Decision WHO WHAT
29. (2 min) (20 min) (2 min) WHO WHAT HOW LONG
31. MAKE MEETINGS EFFICIENT: Intentionally choose attendees
32. For our working group, we need attendees who: • personal preference
33. For our working group, we need attendees who: • personal preference • influencing others
34. For our working group, we need attendees who: • personal preference • influencing others • communicators
35. For our working group, we need attendees who: • personal preference • influencing others • communicators • subject matter experts
36. For our working group, we need attendees who: • personal preference • influencing others • communicators • subject matter experts • diverse
37. Don’t just choose based on seniority
38. For our working group, we need attendees who: • personal preference • influencing others • communicators • subject matter experts • diverse
39. As a facilitator: Make meetings fair.
40. You’ll have to take charge.
41. predictable
42. MAKE MEETINGS FAIR: Introduce ground rules
43. implicit explicit
44. Example ground rules: •
45. Example ground rules: • •
46. Example ground rules: • • •
47. Example ground rules: • • • •
48. Example ground rules: • • • • •
49. Remote-inclusive behaviors • • •
50. MAKE MEETINGS FAIR: Balance steamrollers & silent participants
51. start/pause poker chips hand signals
52. steamrollers trying to get a word in 1
53. poker chips paper clips • • • 2
54. hand signals 3
55. As a facilitator: Read the room and improvise.
56. READ THE ROOM: Actively listen
57. Level 1:
58. Level 2:
59. Level 3:
60. silence
61. READ THE ROOM: Routinely take temperature checks
63. Acknowledge
64. taking charge
65. changing it up
66. IMPROVISE: Use a variety of tools to move the group towards its goal.
68. HOMEWORK: Add one new tool or technique to a recurring meeting.
69. Meeting facilitation is a distinct leadership skill.