- Work with the meeting sponsor to identify objectives ahead of time. …
- Invite the right people to the meeting. …
- Help participants prepare for the meeting ahead of time. …
- Develop a question-based agenda that encourages participation and ownership of the meeting.
Meeting Facilitation Tips – How to Facilitate Your First Meeting
What does it mean to facilitate a meeting?
When you lead a meeting, you are in charge of all of the organizational and logistical details. It’s not always necessary for you to participate actively in the meeting you’ve scheduled. Your primary responsibility is to arrange the meeting and ensure that all necessary details are taken care of.
You could present the meeting’s objectives, assist in keeping it on schedule, and ensure that each item on the agenda is covered as a meeting facilitator. To accommodate the needs of the various groups you work with and to achieve each meeting’s particular objectives, you can adopt a variety of styles and techniques.
How to facilitate a meeting
Here are helpful tips to facilitate a meeting effectively:
1. Understand your role
Meeting facilitators may serve different roles at different organizations. Some employees might be in charge of calling a meeting in addition to attending it. Sometimes a facilitator is only required to organize and lead a meeting. You don’t necessarily need to be an expert in this field. The meeting participants provide the ideas and make decisions.
2. Determine the purpose of the meeting
You must clarify the meeting’s purpose as the meeting facilitator. You can seek direction on the purpose of the meeting and the objectives from managers or other leaders. Aim to define one to three primary objectives.
3. Identify participants
Choose which employees need to be present at the meeting. You can make a participant list and request that a manager look it over.
4. Schedule the meeting
Pick a meeting location, date, and time that are convenient for everyone who needs to attend. Finding a suitable time may entail collaborating with administrative assistants. You might require a conference room at your office or a larger venue, depending on the size and purpose of your meeting. Set aside the space in advance, and confirm the booking a few days before the meeting
5. Send invitations
Send out invitations to everyone on your guest list once the main details are settled. Use your business’s preferred email or scheduling tool so that guests can respond to your invitation directly. You might also want to send a reminder one week prior to the meeting.
6. Create an agenda
Create a meeting agenda that outlines the desired flow, the topics to be covered, and any presenters who will be present. To ensure that everyone is aware of what to expect and has enough time to prepare for the meeting, send the agenda to everyone at least one week in advance.
7. Schedule meals or snacks
Depending on how long the meeting will last, think about providing refreshments. You might have coffee and bagels available for a meeting that lasts an hour or less in the middle of the morning. You might want to provide a full meal for meetings that are longer or in the evening. You can find a local restaurant that offers delivery. Send the menu to guests in advance and request their orders so that you can arrange delivery for a specific time. Remember to include this break on your agenda.
8. Plan for technological needs
Talk about the technology that your presenters will require at the meeting. Make sure your venue has the necessary gadgets, cords, and outlets. You might need to rent a projector or make plans to have equipment transported from your place of business to the meeting location. Make sure you can access the internet and have the right passwords. Make sure everything functions by running a test the day before the meeting. Request that presenters arrive early to prepare and test their equipment.
9. Consider limiting personal devices
You must maintain focus for everyone in the meeting as the facilitator. Consider asking participants to limit their use of personal devices to aid in this effort. For the participants to take notes, you can provide notepads and pens. Ask them to turn off the sound and only use their devices for meeting-related tasks if they must use them.
10. Assign roles
During the meeting, assign people to carry out specific tasks like:
11. Encourage participation
Your company can gain from a variety of viewpoints and concepts. Encourage meeting participants to share their knowledge and opinions. When there are talkative individuals and strong personalities present, this can be difficult. If necessary, step in and address any participants who have not spoken directly. You might say, “Lets make sure we hear from everyone. Nancy, how do you feel about the proposed initiative?”.
You might start the meeting with informal activities like introducing everyone or games to help them feel more at ease with one another in order to foster collaboration and team spirit.
12. Listen
13. Ask questions
You can assist participants in meetings by helping them clarify and elaborate on their positions. You can do this by asking pointed questions such as:
14. Move the discussion forward
Keep the conversation moving if there are several agenda items. Saying something along the lines of: “We have a lot of great ideas to follow up on for that topic” can encourage moving on. Let’s move on to another topic that is equally crucial and demands our attention right now. “.
15. Take breaks
Make sure to include breaks in your agenda to avoid meeting fatigue. Monitor the atmosphere and body language in the room. Offer a brief break to the team if anyone appears to be drained or unmotivated.
16. Keep track of time
Make sure you are adhering to your schedule as closely as you can. This might entail designating someone to remind you at predetermined intervals or setting a timer to signal when it’s time to move on to the next item.
17. Wrap up
Try to close the meeting by the designated end time. If participants are still actively participating, you may need to intervene. You could say, “Thank you all for participating in this discussion so actively.” We’ve used up all of our time, but if there are any additional issues, we can add them to our follow-up schedule. “.
Explain to meeting participants what the next steps are. This may include:
FAQ
What is needed to facilitate a meeting?
Effective listening abilities, including the use of questions to clearly understand everyone’s point of view belief in the team’s capacity to collaborate and solve problems Being assertive means knowing when to step in forcefully and give the conversation some direction.
How do you facilitate a team meeting?
- Understand your role as meeting facilitator. …
- Create an interactive agenda. …
- Establish your meeting’s purpose. …
- Close your laptop and open your ears. …
- Make space for everyone to contribute. …
- Facilitate conversation through questions. …
- Read the room.
How do you facilitate a meeting for the first time?
- 1) Be a meeting planning guru. …
- 2) Be assertive, not scary. …
- 3) Stay positive and upbeat. …
- 4) Listen with intent. …
- 5) Keep your eye on the time. …
- 6) Have the ability to adapt. …
- 7) Don’t be biased.
How can I be a good facilitator in a meeting?
- 1) Be a meeting planning guru. …
- 2) Be assertive, not scary. …
- 3) Stay positive and upbeat. …
- 4) Listen with intent. …
- 5) Keep your eye on the time. …
- 6) Have the ability to adapt. …
- 7) Don’t be biased.
