We’ve all been in that certain meeting…the one where deafening silence reigns.
“Any questions?” the chairperson asks brightly only to be met be deafening silence.
No matter how long you’ve been leading meetings, chairing committees, or heading up boards, there comes a time when even the most energetic and influential meeting leaders fails to elicit a response. It’s no reflection on your or on your leadership skills. It may simply be that the participants do not have anything to add or someone is too shy to speak up. Your job as the meeting leader is to break the ice and ensure that everyone who wishes to do so has the opportunity to speak.
Why Don’t People Speak Up?
You pride yourself on being an open, responsive, collaborative leader. Yet time after time, you put forward a motion, solicit feedback, and are meat with a deafening silence. You can practically hear crickets chirping two miles away in the silence of the meeting room.
People are often reluctant to speak up when faced with a controversial issue. Sometimes, people feel unprepared to add to the discussion. They may also defer to authority, feeling that if the meeting leaders suggest something it is the right course of action to take.
To help people feel more comfortable during meetings and speak up, you can:
* Circulate the meeting agenda ahead of time so that everyone can prepare their thoughts before an issue is on the table for discussion or vote;
* Delay your own response as the meeting leader until you hear from others at the table. This avoids the ‘nodding head’ syndrome or people agreeing with you just because you’re leading the meeting. Let others speak first and voice their thoughts.
* Ask people to form small groups of three and discuss the issue in small groups first.
* Suggest that participants write questions on slips of paper, which are then passed to someone designated to read them aloud for discussion.
Each of these methods offers a way to encourage and facilitate dialogue rather than to accept silence as the norm. If all else fails, and none of these suggestions work or feel right for your meeting, try the Round Robin technique.
The Round Robin Technique
This technique is simple, and guarantees that people participate. It is called the ‘round robin’ technique and like the name suggests, moves the conversation around the table to ensure that everyone has a voice in the discussion.
To utilize this technique, bring forward the salient points that are under discussion. Pose the question, but do not answer it yourself if you are leading the meeting. You will speak last to encourage others to share their thoughts.
Turn to the person to your left and ask them to share their thoughts. Then, when that person is finished speaking, ask the next person in turn at the table to go, and continue until everyone has had a chance to speak. When the group has had a chance to speak, the meeting leader can speak, going last.
If someone really doesn’t want to speak, they can say “Pass” and pass their turn. At the end, go back to anyone who has said “pass” and invite them once more to say a few words. They can either decline or speak. Some people may need a few minutes to gather their thoughts, and will have plenty to say when their turn comes around again.
Adding a Stopwatch and Timed Feedback
The Round Robin technique ensures that everyone can be heard and that everyone has a say on a controversial issue. If you can, bring a stopwatch into the meeting and offer each person exactly 30 seconds (or less) to speak. Give them a ‘warning sign’ of a wave or another signal to let them know their 30 seconds is up. Adding a stopwatch and timed feedback ensures fairness for all and is especially useful in meetings where one or two people tend to dominate the discussion. For more information about the Round Robin technique, visit our friends at Jacobson & Jarvis PLC.
It can be challenging to get people to speak up during a meeting. Techniques such as Round Robin and Round Robin with stopwatch are excellent ways to make sure that all voices are heard at your next board meeting.
Welter Consulting
Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.
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