Ten Ideas To Encourage Individual Involvement In Interactive Meetings
Read More Great Management Articles
Ten Ideas To Encourage Individual Involvement In Interactive Meetings
Most interactive meetings require all team members openly communicate on agenda topics while participating in decision making and problem solving.
By: Shirley Fine Lee
Most interactive meetings require all team members openly communicate on agenda topics while participating in decision making and problem solving.
By: Shirley Fine Lee
Active participation in meetings yields better results than those meetings where people passively sit listening and providing very little input. Often meetings will have different levels of participation from the team members. Some will talk a lot while others will talk very little or not at all. For those team members not interacting with the group, there are some ideas a team leader may wish to try in order to encourage that individual and everyone else to become more involved.
1. If someone provides a good suggestion or pertinent information to the team leader before the meeting, ask them to do some research and then introduce the idea along with their data at the next meeting.
2. Rotate responsibility for facilitating meetings and taking minutes so everyone understands the roles. Whenever possible, delegate different topics on the agenda to others in various meetings so everyone gets a chance to share and shine.
3. To get everyone involved, call on different people to share their ideas, opinions, and thoughts on topics throughout the meeting.
4. If someone is not actively participating, look directly at them and use their name when asking a question to encourage a response and increase their participation level.
5. Realize there is no need to rush through the entire meeting. Be patient and give people time to think and respond to ideas presented. After a few minutes of silence, ask a question to prompt discussion or see if the group wants to continue onto a new agenda topic.
6. Create a safe respectful environment for open exchange of ideas and opinions. One way to do this is to never allow belittling of a person's questions or input - everyone can add value including the devil's advocate.
7. Take time in the meeting to praise good work done by employees outside the meeting. During the meeting say thank you for sharing. Appreciation makes members feel valued. Valued people are more willing to speak up and share their ideas.
8. If someone appears to be dominating the meeting or discussion, don't let it go too far. When one person takes over the meeting, other ideas are not shared and better decisions become harder to make as people may feel intimidated. Instead, thank the talker for their contribution after a few minutes and then move to the next topic or ask a question of a quieter team member.
Page 2
1. If someone provides a good suggestion or pertinent information to the team leader before the meeting, ask them to do some research and then introduce the idea along with their data at the next meeting.
2. Rotate responsibility for facilitating meetings and taking minutes so everyone understands the roles. Whenever possible, delegate different topics on the agenda to others in various meetings so everyone gets a chance to share and shine.
3. To get everyone involved, call on different people to share their ideas, opinions, and thoughts on topics throughout the meeting.
4. If someone is not actively participating, look directly at them and use their name when asking a question to encourage a response and increase their participation level.
5. Realize there is no need to rush through the entire meeting. Be patient and give people time to think and respond to ideas presented. After a few minutes of silence, ask a question to prompt discussion or see if the group wants to continue onto a new agenda topic.
6. Create a safe respectful environment for open exchange of ideas and opinions. One way to do this is to never allow belittling of a person's questions or input - everyone can add value including the devil's advocate.
7. Take time in the meeting to praise good work done by employees outside the meeting. During the meeting say thank you for sharing. Appreciation makes members feel valued. Valued people are more willing to speak up and share their ideas.
8. If someone appears to be dominating the meeting or discussion, don't let it go too far. When one person takes over the meeting, other ideas are not shared and better decisions become harder to make as people may feel intimidated. Instead, thank the talker for their contribution after a few minutes and then move to the next topic or ask a question of a quieter team member.
Page 2
Shirley Fine Lee, author of "R.A!R.A! A Meeting Wizard's Approach", has worked as a training and development specialist since 1986, and an independent consultant since 2000. She has extensive experience, helping organizations with their team building, training development, meeting facilitation, presentation delivery, and other communication needs. This work involves developing productivity tools, presenting workshops, and writing. For instance, she has authored numerous training manuals and guides, on a wide variety of topics. Her programs include time management, getting organized, problem solving, and team building. Find out more about her and options she provides on her website www.shirleyfinelee.com.
Read More Great Management Articles
How Much Should You Expect From A... Change?
The 3T Rule For Meeting Agendas
Designing A Process For Customer Service Escalation
The Hidden Dangers Of Achievement
Ten Ways To Increase Group Participation In Team Meetings
The 3T Rule For Meeting Agendas
Designing A Process For Customer Service Escalation
The Hidden Dangers Of Achievement
Ten Ways To Increase Group Participation In Team Meetings
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
