When the meeting facilitator alarm rings, or your calendar reminds you to check into a virtual room, you take a breath and smile into your webcam. You’re ready to start the week with a productive team meeting. Whether you’re running the meeting yourself or acting as a designated notetaker, your goal is to keep everyone focused and engaged. That’s why the role of meeting facilitator is so important, and in this article we’ll explain what a good one should do.
Set the meeting’s expectations — A good meeting facilitator will make sure that all members of the group understand the purpose, process and timeframe for the meeting. They will also ensure that the meeting has all the necessary tools and links (such as to a project management tool) to work effectively and efficiently. They will also share the notes and decisions from the previous meeting if relevant.
Welcome people to the meeting — It’s helpful for newcomers to be welcomed as they join in. This can be done by assigning a welcomer or “doorkeeper” who can point them to refreshments, let them know where the toilets and fire exits are and bring them up to speed on the progress of the meeting. This is particularly important if you’re working remotely or with remote participants.
Ensure all stakeholders have the right equipment — Especially for hybrid meetings, the meeting facilitator can help to ensure that people are equipped with the technology they need to participate. They can also prepare any required materials in advance, such as a presentation or documents, and make sure that they are accessible to all participants before the meeting starts.
Lead the group towards decisions — It’s easy for discussion to get bogged down or start spinning in circles. It’s the meeting facilitator’s job to identify when this is happening and lead the conversation back on track and towards a decision point.
Encourage participation — It’s not easy for everyone to speak up in a large group discussion. The meeting facilitator can help by introducing tools like brainstorming or mindmapping to equalise participation, or by creating small groups to discuss emotive topics. They can also help all members of the group find ways to contribute that don’t require them to stand up and speak.
Be neutral on the issues being discussed — It’s crucial for the meeting facilitator to be impartial and not have an emotional investment in the outcome of the meeting. They must also be able to recognise when they are biased and try to address it.
It takes a lot of skills to be a good meeting facilitator, but the most important one is great communication. It’s essential to be able to convey complex ideas clearly, engage with a variety of personalities and varying levels of experience and skepticism, and hone in on what matters most. This takes time and practice, but it’s essential for success. If you’re not a naturally skilled communicator, getting some training is an excellent way to improve.