1 Context

I am assuming that the reader of this tips writeup

• is responsible for running a meeting of some kind
• wants input from every attendee of the meeting
  • note: this assumes a size limit on the meeting
• is willing to change how the meeting is run

I’m going to call the set of people in the meeting the committee. I’m going to call the person over that group the chair and the people in the meeting members.

2 Summary

• Have a designated meeting conductor. This may be the chair, but that is not required.

• The conductor keeps and displays to all a combined agenda and notes document

• The discussion portion of the meeting runs as follows:

  1. The conductor shows a draft agenda.
  2. All members are invited to propose additional agenda items.
  3. The conductor reorganizes the agenda, deferring to the chair.
  4. for each agenda item in order

     1. the relevant member introduces the topic

     2. general discussion of those eager to share

        • conductor keeps notes of points made
        • if a point diverges from the current agenda item, the conductor notes that, adds an agenda item for it if needed, and requests a refocus

     3. conductor or chair evaluates conversation a three camps:

        consensus

        If the conversation shows consensus, the chair (or another member) should identify that consensus and ask for comments

        debate

        If the conversation does not look to be converging, the conductor should

        1. pause the conversation
        2. ask each member who has not spoken recently to share their ideas, stopping others who cut in and reminding them that it is member X’s turn
        3. either resumes general discussion or moves to deferral

        deferral

        If the topic is not ready for consensus to emerge, the conductor should

        1. states that the topic is not converging
        2. proposes it be picked up in a future meeting
        3. if appropriate, assigns certain members to prepare material to facilitate the next meeting on this topic

  5. When the meeting end is approaching
     1. the conductor defers the current discussion
     2. the conductor reviews major action items and decisions made

3 Who runs the meeting?

Running an effective meeting is a skill. It is a skill that can be learned, but not a skill that every committee member (or every committee chair) will in general possess. Hence, it can be useful to appoint a member as the meeting conductor.

The conductor’s job is to keep the meeting running smoothly. The chair’s job is to direct focus, identify consensus, and make decisions. A single person can fill both roles, but there are various benefits to separating them; one of the biggest is that the chair can devote attention to the implications of the matters being discussed and not worry about schedule and who’s turn it is to speak next.

If the roles are separate, the conductor should be particularly attentive to the chair’s needs. If the chair wishes to speak, the conductor should give them priority. The chair should also be consulted on the order of items on the agenda, how much time to devote to each, and whom to assign to each action item.

4 The value of visible notes

A well-run meeting will saturate the cognitive capacity of every member. They’ll need to listen carefully, understand other viewpoints, consider ramifications of possible decisions, think about what points others are overlooking, decide how to articulate their ideas, and speak.

There is thus great benefit in providing an extension to the member’s short-term memory in the form of a live-updated visible-to-all annotated agenda where a summary of each point made can be written. Seeing the agenda helps members realize their tangent is a tangent. Seeing notes on the conversation helps them refocus if they were distracted by their own ideas and didn’t listen carefully to some other member’s comment.

I’ve used many technologies for this purpose, including desktop stickies, docs.google.com, stackedit.io, test editors, and others. The most important features are (a) large enough font all can read it; (b) support for outline layout; (c) personal comfort and speed using the tool. Whatever the technology, project it where all meeting participants can see it.

5 Reigning in unruly tongues

Some people have much higher word-to-thought ratios than others. Some people have much lower worth-sharing thresholds than others. Some people seem to generate ideas more rapidly than others. Some people are faster at jumping into an opening in the conversation than others. For these and many other reasons, without proper guidance a few tongues can rule the conversation.

5.1 Topic drift

It is all too easy to begin talking about one thing and, my simple logical steps, end up talking about something entirely different without ever resolving the original topic.

The most effective strategy I know against this is the living agenda:

• have an agenda of topics displayed where all can see it
• indicate in some way the current agenda item
• when conversations leave that item, state such and point to (or add and then point to) the agenda item where that conversation belongs

While I have been in a few meetings that go too far in this direction, deeming suggestions as off topic if they suggest a different solution than the chair preferred, by far the bulk of meetings do too little of this instead.

Have an agenda, display it, and stop conversation that leaves the current item.

5.2 Inviting all to speak

I suggest being conscious of two different approaches to handling conversation in a meeting:

General discussion

Anyone can talk, as long as not all talk at once. In a small meeting, this needs little supervision. In a large meeting, raising hands and queuing future comments may be needed.

General discussion is a good way to brainstorm ideas and get an initial read on the spread of opinions on a topic. It tends to be dominated by the most forward members and those that do not devote as much attention to listening as others.

Round-robbin discussion

Everyone gets their turn, and only they speak. A few clarification questions from others may be appropriate, but beyond that there is no vying for, or even volunteering for, the floor. The conductor calls on one person at a time, in an order of the conductor’s choosing, and each has their say.

Round-robbin discussion is a good way to bring in perspectives from those who do not put themselves forward, for evaluating the consensus of all members as opposed to just the most vocal members, and for ensuring that the loudest voices don’t win.

Both have their place. I recommend alternating between a period of general discussion, followed by a round-robin contribution from each member who did not contribute in the general discussion.

5.3 Silence ≠ agreement

If the three people who have spoken all agree on something, that does not necessarily mean that the five who have not also agree. Round-robin discussion can reveal that they do (or don’t), but it is also time consuming. A useful shortcut is to summarize the consensus as the conductor understands it and ask people if they agree. Using yes-no questions like do we agree? and did I word that right? can help prevent a series of lengthy ways of saying yes.

If there is consensus but the conductor summarizes it incorrectly, the summary will be corrected, generally by the same people who spoke before. It is important not to stop there, but to ask again do we agree? as a prompt for those who have not yet spoke to chime in if they disagree.

It is also important to understand that the more polite members are likely to express agreement with the consensus, but also still have useful additional insights to share. A quick round-robbin with a prompt that allows them to skip, like anything else to add? can help elicit these extra gems of insight.

5.4 Converge or defer

A meeting is an effective place to share perspectives and benefit from a diversity of viewpoints. It is not an effective place to resolve disagreements or find solutions to tricky problems.

In general, conversation remains effective as long as it shows one of the following:

• members are sharing new ideas or perspectives
• members are seeking to better understand one another
• members are merging different ideas or finding common ground

If none of those are occurring, it is likely that the current topic is not on a path to consensus in the current meeting and it would be helpful to give all members more time to consider the topic by deferring further discussion to a future meeting.

Never assume a conversation cannot making progress if there are members who have not been invited to share. A topic may be worth deferring because of time constraints or the like before then, but at least one round-robbin discussion should be included before deferring a topic because consensus is not emerging.

6 Conveying a sense of progress

An efficient meeting spends most of its time focusing on unresolved issues. With no further reinforcement, this can lead to negative feelings about meetings. It is thus beneficial to the mindset of the members, and hence their continued engagement, to end each meeting with a summary of what was accomplished in the meeting. This also provides

• a chance for people who disagree or failed to contribute to weigh in with I’m not sure that’s what we agreed on.
• uplift prior to reviewing action items that members may have been given as part of the meeting.
• a clear end to the meeting that lets the calendar constraints be met without appearing as an abrupt cut-off.