How many times have you had to sit through yet another meeting where nothing gets accomplished? How many times have you had to lead a meeting where nothing was accomplished? Or where you felt you just didn’t have command of the agenda?

If you want to help a group have a discussion that leads to a decision, it’s not the best idea to “have the answer” going in, necessarily, because then it’s not based on informative discussion, and no one but you has contributed to the knowledge “bank”.

We all want to be helpful when we’re part of working group. Sometimes we need to lead, sometimes we need to follow, and yes, sometimes we need to get out of the way. What we all need however, is a way to think about whatever is being discussed. That’s the key role of whoever is leading.

If it’s you, here are some tips that might help.

1st – Set the Context (state why you are discussing the particular topic; what has been done, decided, discussed about the topic in the past; what has to come out of the present discussion)

2nd – Offer Some Alternatives (suggest some ideas; some ways others have approached the issue, including the previous suggestions of people who are at the meeting)

3rd – State the Necessary Outcome (what needs to be accomplished; why its important to move on to next steps; what the consequences are if the objective isn’t reached)

4th – Encourage Discussion – (throw it open to all by asking a question)

Have your thoughts clear before going in. That is, What will you say about the Context, the Alternatives, the Necessary Outcomes, and what question(s) will you ask. The group will be grateful, feel engaged, and the discussion will be fruitful.

It may not be the last of the meetings on that particular topic, but it will certainly help people think about the issue.