How to analyze the gap between where a team or company or group is at present and where they wish to be. Read more →

Some meetings run well and do not need a facilitator. Or they think that is the case. If your role is to be the facilitator, do not force yourself on the group. Participate in a low-key way and offer your skills when the group appears to be stuck or unproductive. Read more →

Additional situations that benefit from a professional facilitator have one or several of these factors: full participation is important, internal politics are strong, neutrality is crucial, past meetings have been frustrating, group commitment is essential, an outsider lends importance to topic. Read more →

When to hire a professional facilitator: when emotions are strong, everyone’s input is needed, fresh and innovative thinking is required, and more. Read more →

Meetings tend to run long. Here are five techniques to shorten your meetings. Read more →

Japanese-style decision making can give a good option in meeting management. Rather than identify one idea and say yes/no, explore the question and consult with all affected individuals. THEN, generate alternatives and choose among them. (source is Peter Drucker) Read more →

Plan for breaks during your meetings to accommodate attention levels and biological needs. Here are several ways to think about the timing and length of meeting breaks. Read more →

A way to encourage full participation in a meeting is to allow individual contributors to get their ideas on a notepad first and then offered to the full group: Nominal Group Technique Read more →

A meeting without active discussion is unlikely to produce results. Here’s how to ensure a climate that fosters productive debate or deliberations. Read more →

Effective meetings require management of the energy flow. Doing so is like being a traffic cop. Keep the ideas flowing and participation balanced. Read more →