Your meetings - problem people and moments - part one

Here are some pointers to help you deal with some of the most common "problems with people" moments during your meetings -

THE QUIET

Aim to bring quiet people (or those lacking in confidence) out of their shell by concentrating on the "open" type of questions e.g. who, what, where, when, how, in what way etc.. Support and encourage their contributions, let them know that you genuinely want to hear their views - that there are no right or wrong answers - that this isn't a test!

THE DOMINATORS

With those people who try to dominate either the meeting itself, or those who attend, you want to - politely - assert your control. This can be achieved by asking them to summarise the key point they wish to make, by asking a closed question to close them down, or by taking a point they have made and quickly and clearly asking someone else to comment on, or add to, it

THE LATE-COMERS

If someone habitually arrives late, and then makes a big "event" of their arrival - simply acknowledge their presence. Don’t update them on what’s happened, just carry on. Privately - never during the meeting - discuss the reasons for their regular late arrivals. Never delay meetings until “regular” latecomers grace you with their presence. If there is a one-off, valid reason for delay e.g. safety emergency - then that can be accepted

THE EARLY-LEAVERS

The individual who regularly has to leave the meeting early - “making a grand departure”. Again, not acceptable - and needs to be dealt with in private. However, do consider if your meetings might be going on a bit too long! Might this person be drawing attention to this? It can also be useful at the start to confirm the length of the meeting

THE IRRELEVANT

If someone is disrupting your meeting by bringing in issues irrelevant to it, offer to discuss these later on a one-to-one basis, explaining that you need to stick to the "agenda" issues, as time is limited

THE REPEATERS

If an individual keeps repeating themselves to try and persuade others to their point of view; you need to move on before others are “switched off” by this. You can let the person know that you - and therefore others - have heard their views. You might summarise back to them. then, add a rider that this can be referred to if the need arises later in the meeting



Your meetings - problem people and moments - part one - To learn more about this author, visit Gordon Veniard's Website.

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