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12 July 2013

What Are Some Meeting Facilitation Ground Rules

By Carmella Watts


When in a meeting, many people are not really aware of what is happening. Others attend it and still wonder what were the decisions made at the end of the discussion. It is probably best to have a structured meeting facilitation Missoula to have a more productive discussion.

Whether it is to solve an issue, suggest a solution, to share ideas or to reach a conclusion on various issues, meetings exist for this purpose. Time is invested on these group gatherings so it is saddening to know that these are wasted especially when none is capable of guiding the group. To become more productive during these meetings, it might be necessary to have an experienced facilitator or mediator present.

Conferences without a facilitator or a mediator usually ends up in the individuals losing focus on the topic. A person experienced in assembly facilitation can help the group steer in the right direction and reach successful decisions in a productive manner. To facilitate a gathering, the facilitator must lay down some ground rules to have a more productive discussion.

A conference should always have an agenda because a meeting without an agenda is generally a waste of time. In cases of big project, people might not know what part of the project they need to discuss and might gather several times more for the other parts of the project they forgot to discuss. Have a professional develop an agenda, and guide the session based on its contents to avoid wasting time.

One problem during these gatherings is that no one is prepared to speak when asked. Everyone should participate equally and contribute in solving the issue presented and make valid points in the discussion. The facilitator should be able to coax the members to participate in the conversation and treat their ideas equally.

You should also be wary of the people who are attending the meeting. Those who are not necessarily needed to be part of the meeting does not need to be invited since it will not serve any purpose rather you will just be wasting their time. You also need to regard the sides they take on the given issue, if there is any. If you are the facilitator, this might be quite important on the following discussions.

In every company, there are always people who are more outspoken than the others and there are some who have disruptive behaviors. People with a dominant personality can be beneficial if it is channeled in the right direction. It is the job of the facilitator to handle these disruptive behaviors and let the group members participate equally during gatherings.

It is also important to stick to the original time when having these meetings since the time of the participants are also important. Do not let the group get off track on the topic or discuss irrelevant issues other than the one on the agenda. Remind the team to avoid distracting other participants and to avoid unnecessary activities.

These mediators should be skilled and remain neutral in assessing the problem so that there are no sides drawn. Facilitation is something that should not only be used by the executives, but should be part of doing business. Meeting facilitation Missoula is a very good option when you want to increase productivity and teamwork among the participants.




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