Meeting Management – Getting Off Topic
Meeting Management – Getting Off Topic
People getting off topic is human nature especially if it regularly happens in the meetings.* * We jump from one subject to another.* However, during a meeting this rarely is efficient.* If fact, it is probably the same person or persons who jumps around and the rest of the staff members are frustrated by this being allowed.* Whether you are the facilitator or participant of the meeting, you have a right to speak up to get the meeting back on subject.* You can do this by asking questions.* 
First and foremost, what is the purpose of the meeting?* Do you know?* Do others know?* Is everyone on the same page?* How do you know?* Ask others during the meeting, what are we trying to achieve with this meeting?* If you have internal thought processors, let them have a few minutes to write the purpose on an index card.* If you are not the facilitator, ask permission to do this or help the person leading the meeting be prepared to do this.* * Unless everyone understands the purpose of the meeting, people will continually get off the topic.
Prepare an agenda template that is used by all meeting participants with the agenda action or topic, person responsible for bringing information or updates, time that they have during the meeting.* If they only have 10 minutes (or less) to update others, they must be succinct and focused which cuts down the getting off topic.* There are many agenda templates you can find online or within Microsoft Word.
Along with the agenda, a guideline needs to be implemented that when meeting together, only one person speaks at a time so everyone can hear what’s being said and to avoid distractions.* When this guideline is not followed, you can interrupt and say, “I’m sorry I couldn’t hear, can you restate that?”* Or “I need everyone to listen to the topic at hand to assure important questions are asked when he/she is finished.”* “What can you tell me about xxx?”* * “How does this apply to the topic of xxx?”* “What’s the purpose of us talking about this when I thought we were to be discussing xxx?”* These questions provide you a means to get the subject back to the whole of the team without offending as long as you do not ask with a negative tone of voice and/or body language of judgment.* Your purpose is to get the meeting back on track.
In your meeting, allow time for unexpected topics from the normal discussions and actions.* On the agenda, allow a section for “Special requests, concerns, new topics” to assure these things are brought up during the meeting without going over the set time.* * Allow time for questions so others can clarify and understand the topic information.
If it is your boss or meeting leader getting off topic, you can only discuss privately and not during the meeting.* Go to them before or after the meeting and voice your concerns for the effectiveness of the team or department; not because that is what you prefer.
In our next LAC post, we will focus on one person speaking or same participants come unprepared.* We hope that this meeting management has been interesting and beneficial to your professional development.* Please contact us at LAC for further and more in-depth assistance.