Meeting facilitation is a key role in the workplace. Facilitators ensure that meetings are well organised, run on time and are productive. They are unbiased leaders who reflect the group dynamics of a meeting and make sure everyone’s opinions are heard. They are also able to course correct during the meeting and help participants reach conclusions together.

A good facilitator helps their meeting participants feel at ease, even those who are introverted or quiet to begin with. They may do this by introducing themselves to the entire group or through other activities such as an icebreaker or energiser. They might also provide a short presentation or slide show to give everyone an overview of the topics for discussion, and then break the group into smaller groups for discussions or activities.

They are able to use visual collaboration software such as Mural to keep their meeting participants engaged throughout the session by giving them something interesting to interact with and a platform for sharing ideas, regardless of whether they are remote or in-office. They might also use tools such as time-boxes and voting sessions to keep the meeting moving at a steady pace and ensure that all attendees are able to contribute.

An effective facilitator is not afraid to challenge the status quo and disrupt the conversation when necessary. They might do this by interrupting someone who has been dominating the discussion or calling out problematic behaviours such as micro-aggressions.

Meeting participants want to know that their opinions are valued. It is a meeting facilitator’s responsibility to ensure that every participant has the opportunity to speak up, and to encourage those who don’t normally participate to do so. This might be done by encouraging all of the meeting participants to share their opinion during a check-in question at the beginning of the meeting or by asking open-ended questions that allow attendees to share whatever they choose.

As the meeting progresses, a good facilitator will pay attention to who is speaking up and find ways to get others involved. They might ask more participants to expand on their point of view, or they might reframe the problem or topic for a new perspective. Finally, they will make sure that everyone understands what has been decided and how it will affect their work.

Lastly, a good meeting facilitator will take the time to review the outcomes of the meeting at the end. They will ensure that all of the important information and decisions are captured in the minutes of the meeting, and they will assign people to any actions that need to be completed.

The most important thing to remember when facilitating is that it’s not about the content of the meeting, but rather the process by which the decision were made and what tasks need to be taken forward. For more facilitation tips, check out our full Facilitating Meetings guide!