Have you ever lead a meeting or participated in a meeting where many of its members did not say anything?  I have sat in on these meetings, and it is painful to observe the leader doing all the talking and asking the members questions that go unanswered.  So, how do you lead a meeting that has great participation by engaging its members? Glad you asked, as this is the subject of today’s blog

Happy engaging,

Diane 

Margaret was excited to share the new benefit package that her team would be receiving as a result of a year long process of sorting out vendors.  She worked hard to find the most comprehensive package with the lowest monthly premium and deductible.  As she completed her presentation, she asked for questions and only one person responded.  Didn’t her team understand how long you she had been working on this?  Why wouldn’t they respond?  Come to think of it, Margaret realized that she did most of the speaking in her weekly staff meetings.  She became frustrated at the lack of interaction and adjourned the meeting. 

How can Margaret get the participation she wants and needs in order to make better decisions for her department and team?  Read below for a few of my suggestions:

• Let staff work on agenda items and report back- Margaret may have been able to gain commitment and excitement for her new benefit’s package by involving one or several members in choosing the next plan versus just telling them which one she chose.
• Set the expectation of participation-Sometimes the best approach is the most direct approach.  Let your staff know that you expect participation from each of them as their time in the meeting is valuable.  You can even add up each person’s hourly wage or salary to determine the cost of the meeting and show them that lack of particpation is considered wasted time spent together.  Another approach that is less direct, and more inclusive, is allowing the team to create a list of group behaviors that the team finds acceptable and unacceptable.  These norms stay posted in the meeting room or on the minutes each week and members make sure they are followed by holding each other accountable.  “Participation by all” is usually one of the first behaviors  a team will list.
• Consider the size of meeting- Some members are naturally introverted and need time to process questions versus responding quickly.  Also, a large staff meeting can intimidate members so you may need to draw them out individually. 
• Lay it on the table-Sometimes you just need to address the elephant in the room, so to speak.  Ask the question, ” Why is the room so quiet?” or “It seems as if something is not right, what am I missing?” The critical part to this strategy as a leader is zipping your mouth and allowing for silence.  Let the group be uncomfortable as they try to answer your question.   Usually the informal leader in the group will feel the need to speak and address the real issue.
• Meet with the informal Leader- Every team, department or work group has informal leaders that other members follow.  The informal leader does not have the title of leader but others respect their opinions. It may be wise to gain this informal leader’s commitment before the meeting or after the meeting if you need to know why people are not responding to your questions.

Question for You:

As a leader, do you find yourself speaking the most in your staff meetings?  Do you find that many staff members show up for the meeting and never say anything?

 Action for You:

By choosing any or all of the five suggestions above you will begin to create more engaged staff meetings that are actually fun to lead.