How to create greater synergy in your meetings
By Dean Williams J •
ust how productive are some of your meetings? Do you make progress on the big ticket areas (challenges/opportunities)? not, why not?
If
Chances are you are not leading them enough! Your enemies in meetings could be numerous and include:
Allowing individuals too much of a platform to self promote and share their agenda •
point’ focus •
Failing to set and manage expectations of key outcomes needed from the meeting and why •
Accepting ‘drift’ and not facilitating ‘back to the
Encouraging individual viewpoints but not managing how they are shared and when
If you are chairing a meeting effectively it requires skill, strength and an ability to synergise the audience in order to reach your desired outcomes. Done well and not only are your results achieved, but yes ... your meetings can be enjoyable as well!
So how can you achieve greater synergy and control?
Welcome to a golden oldie ... Edward De Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats process. Reference to oldie ... that’s the process not Dr De Bono! De Bono’s process is a gem. Providing you with the tools to provide direction and facilitate an inclusive methodology which allows everybody a chance to contribute and have their say ... but only when you need it! Put simply, the 6 Thinking Hats process enables you to explore five different states of thinking with your audience on the way to making decisions and determining actions. What about the sixth hat? That’s you as the chairperson/facilitator - controlling the process!
Essentially, you determine a time frame in each state and use the hats to reach an inclusive conclusion. The key is that everybody thinks in the appropriate state at the same time - maximising the power of synergy. You all walk in the same shoes at that moment in time and contribute fully in each state. I’m not promoting that you and your colleagues physically change hats but
28 entrepreneurcountry mentally ... that’s exactly what is needed!
In my experience, there is normally at least one person in a team that seems to automatically fill the ‘black hat’ role! No it doesn’t mean they are negative ... far from it - it’s a state that very much helps drive to an outcome. Your task as the chairperson is to ensure that this viewpoint is shared at the right time (when in black hat mode), encouraging all of the audience (not just the one who is naturally there!) to enter into that state at the same time. Synergy of thinking is the key.
Far from the only way to orchestrate the hats (but to give you a helping hand), the following is a very logical approach to facilitating the process ...
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