Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 4, Quiet ParticipantsWritten by Steve Kaye
There are many reasons why someone would decline to participate during a meeting. While some of these may be valid, others may warrant intervention in order to hold an effective meeting.Approach 1: Encourage participation When you notice a quiet participant, ask for contributions by looking at person and saying: "How do you feel about that, Chris?" "What results do you expect from this, Pat?" "Chris, how will this affect you?" Sometimes a quiet participant will test environment with a tentative reply or a minor, safe point. Respond positively and with encouragement to any response that you receive. Then probe further to explore for more ideas.
| | Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 6, Deadlocked DiscussionsWritten by Steve Kaye
Although a meeting is a vehicle for resolving differences, it can break down when participants become mired in a disagreement.Approach 1: Form a subcommittee Ask for volunteers from opposing viewpoints to form a subcommittee to resolve issue. This is a useful approach, because: 1) The issue may require extensive research, which is best completed outside meeting, 2) The people who caused deadlock will be responsible for solving it, or 3) The effort to resolve issue will test its priority. That is, if no one wants to spend time finding a solution, then perhaps issue (or at least controversy) is unimportant. Ask for a subcommittee by saying: "There seem to be concerns about this issue. Rather than use everyone's time in meeting, I want a subcommittee to resolve this and report back to us. Who wants to be on it?"
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