The Oracle Way to Consulting by Kim Miller

Author:Kim Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McGraw Hill LLC
Published: 2015-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Stay Focused

Ideally, not all of your meetings will be about complex or controversial topics, but some will be, and so you should come to your meetings prepared for anything. Some meetings will turn controversial without notice, and you need to know how to defuse that situation. Either way, your role includes keeping the meeting on track and the members focused on the task at hand. You should write and post the objectives of the meeting where everyone can see them and refer back to them frequently. If related topics arise that are not in keeping with the objectives of the meeting, announce to the team that you are tabling them for future discussion but make sure the meeting members see you write down the topics and then follow through.

I was at a user group meeting once that turned somewhat confrontational. The person leading the session did a great job of very patiently writing down everyone’s feedback. She was not in a position to make decisions, but she did promise to take the comments back to those who were in a position to address the issues. At the end of the session, she turned from the podium and threw her notes into the wastebasket next to her. I like to think she was throwing something else away, but regardless of what it was, she lost credibility that day.

Whether they mean to or not, there are always those who will derail a meeting. If a meeting participant is distracting others, tactfully put that person back on course. Some distractions will come in the form of side comments. Although they can be distracting, not all side conversations are counterproductive; some are helpful in arriving at a decision provided that they are short and relatively quiet. If the side conversation pertains to the meeting topic, you might want to let them finish and then invite them to share their conclusions with the team. They just might have wanted a sounding board for the idea before presenting it to the group. If they decline to share with the team, don’t push them as they probably concluded that their idea was not relevant. If their side comments do not pertain to the meeting and are distracting, you can tactfully ask them to either join your meeting or take theirs outside. With experience, you will learn which side discussions are productive and which should be stopped.

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