Meeting Facilitation Isn’t Fluff
It’s somewhat embarrassing to say I didn’t realize (or internalize) that I have a talent for meeting facilitation until the summer of 2022, when I was invited to facilitate an immigration panel at the American Constitution Society National Convention. (Writing that sentence was hard; anytime I affirm my skills in writing, I feel a keen sense of discomfort. But I’m trying to traffic in facts, and the fact is that meeting facilitation is learned and practiced—and I have some gems to share.) An ACS staffer had attended the Immigration Task Force monthly meetings I ran at The Leadership Conference and extended a personal invitation along with complimentary words. I am still learning, but I value sharing what I know with others along the way—and I want to talk about meeting facilitation!
For those unfamiliar with the verbiage, meeting “facilitation” is the conscious act of guiding the meeting process so that it stays on course, to make sure everyone participates, and to reach the agreed-upon meeting goals. Your job as a facilitator is to do just that—to ease the experience of the oft-dreaded meeting. Think lighthouse, not agenda bully. Below are a few best practices, organized into “duties” that I focus on when shepherding a group of people through an agenda.
Welcome: Help People Feel Seen and Acknowledged
Leading even a small, intimate meeting can be nerve-wracking or downright frightening. Nightmares of a public speaking class might come to mind. I find being my authentic self or integrating my personality wherever I can, even when stepping into an authoritative role, to be helpful. If you cannot do that, think of it as a performance—it’s your star turn in the role of Confident, Warm, Engaging Facilitator. One of the first things to do as a facilitator is to welcome people into the space you have curated for them. How would you want to be welcomed into a meeting? Perhaps a silly icebreaker question people can answer via an online chat function (“What’s your least favorite fruit and why?” “Is a hot dog a sandwich?”), or having music playing while people trickle into the room. Depending on the difficulty of the subject matter to be discussed, meetings can feel both dread and dour. Think of ways to respect the topic, but to also lower the stakes wherever possible and appropriate through small gestures. If you feel comfortable, try welcoming people in by name and asking for pronunciation tips (“We’ve got Claire from Portland, Pilar from Texas, and Adeola from Florida, here—welcome y’all!”). For a virtual meeting, that can look like asking for people’s names, pronouns, and where they’re from in the chat and reading some of them aloud quickly. Thank people for attending, even if they have to be there. These are small ways you can help people feel like their presence matters. Honor the finite, precious resource that is people’s time by starting and ending meetings on time as much as humanly possible—and openly acknowledge when time is running out (“This discussion is so valuable, but we are getting close to time. For those who can stay, you’re welcome to, but for those who need to go, thank you for being here.”). That sounds basic, but you’d be surprised at how rare it is for facilitators to openly acknowledge what’s happening on the clock, in real time. A few changes in your welcoming approach can lead to remarkably positive results—and people may end up looking forward to meetings that you run.
Protect: Emphasize and Honor the Importance of Community Agreements
Few things are more uncomfortable than a tense meeting. Conflict is inevitable, even at work, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be productive if it is facilitated well. One way to preempt unnecessary conflict is to establish community agreements for a meeting, and especially for recurring meetings or groups that will gather regularly. One definition of community agreements is “a consensus on what every person in our group needs from each other and commits to each other in order to feel safe, supported, open, productive and trusting… so that we can do our best work, achieve our common vision, and serve our constituents well.” The emphasis on consensus is paramount—a group must agree on how we’ll share our meeting space together, making us all stakeholders and investors in the space. Some examples of community agreements I’ve seen are: “Assume Best Intentions,” “Step Up/Step Back or Take Space/Make Space,” or “Be Open, Direct, Honest, and Compassionate,” but you can find countless more online. Community agreements are not static either; you can establish one set that serves your group for a time, and adjust or establish new ones as things evolve. One of your roles as a facilitator is to help a group produce community agreements and then honor them when they may be endangered by certain behaviors. I find it helpful to dedicate a significant amount of time to discussing community agreements at the first iteration of a meeting I’ll be leading on a regular basis. I also like to quickly run through the agreements at the start of each meeting, as a gentle reminder to all (or to inform first-time attendees). I have also found verbally returning to these agreements to be an effective way to defuse conflict that bubbles up in a meeting—reminding people of what they have agreed can bring them back to the now.
Provide: Prioritize Accessibility in Virtual and In-Person Meetings
In year three of the coronavirus pandemic, I am confident there are many articles online focused on accessibility in virtual meeting spaces. I don’t claim to be an expert whatsoever; the following are just a few of my favorite ways to prioritize everyone’s ability to fully engage in meeting spaces. When leading virtual meetings in particular, I turn on closed captions and ask that other speakers slow down their pace to give the captions a fighting chance to capture what’s being said. I also take full advantage of any chat function and I encourage attendees to do so; for myriad reasons, not everyone wants to raise their hand or to speak aloud in a meeting. For some people, written thoughts or feedback are more comfortable and effective. As such, I also take care to check the chat routinely (every 2-3 minutes or so) for contributions or questions and to read people’s written comments aloud on their behalf where appropriate. When I am facilitating a virtual meeting with multiple guest speakers, I take a page from my old theatre days and I inform people who is “on deck,” or up next. For example, if Bess is speaking now, I will privately chat with Ezra to let him know he’s on deck. I might also let Abe know that they are 3rd in line. This practice is especially critical when the speaking order may need to change rapidly. Nobody said facilitation was easy—it’s a true exercise in coordinating chaos! I also value time checks and sprinkle them throughout my meetings (“Thank you to Seth for sharing; we’re approaching the halfway mark and so we should move on to X topic.”) to help usher people along as we move through the agenda.
Command: Maintain Control of the Room
My family is Jamaican, and there’s a patois saying I find apt for this section: “We run tings, tings nuh run we.” Effective meetings don’t just happen; they are created and maintained! You run a meeting; the meeting doesn’t run you (nor do its attendees). A key aspect to remember is that you, as the facilitator, must maintain control of the room (virtual or in-person). I am not naturally assertive at all; I’ve never been comfortable taking up space. Over the years, I’ve developed a personal approach that is gentle, but firm. I want meeting discussions to proceed organically, but as I gain more experience as a facilitator, I fine-tune my ability to understand when a discussion point has run its course or when an unproductive conflict is about to arise. Most importantly, I fine-tune my instincts to know when I need to intervene. Commanding respect as a facilitator is a never-ending process, and I do not have a simple 3-step process for anyone to follow. However, I do think facilitators should use their highest, best judgment when intervening during a meeting. Does the scenario call for muting someone? Does the situation call for cutting off a conversation? Have events unfolded that require the meeting to end early? These are questions I’ve asked myself numerous times while facilitating, and practice is the only way to find the answers to those questions for yourself. At the end of the day, as a facilitator, it’s your duty to create and maintain a safe, productive space for everyone. Sometimes, unfortunately, that means closing the space and having solo conversations with attendees. Either way, get comfortable with taking command.
Meeting facilitation is far from the “fluff” we may be led to believe it is, so often relegated to the world of the gendered “soft skill.” Meeting facilitation demands high levels of agility, constant observation, genuine warmth, sharp perception, expert multitasking, and so much more. I hope, the next time someone asks you to lead or facilitate a meeting, you’ll see it as an exciting challenge and less of a chore!
Do you have any facilitation best practices (or stories of facilitation mistakes)? If so, what are they and what have you learned?
