One of the most important but often overlooked steps in closing a meeting is asking for agreement and commitment. Many facilitators and presenters mistake nodding heads or statements like "I understand" and "I get it" for agreement. Usually these things simply indicate understanding. Understanding is not agreement. Understanding does not indicate a willingness or commitment to act. Unless you ask you will not know if you have agreement and commitment, the two essentials for forward progress.
And while you are at it, don’t forget to leave enough time in the agenda for some discussion. I have found that discussions that follow the big question are the most productive of the entire meeting because you now have their attention. Asking moves the topic from concept to reality. Now they are ready to engage. The stakes just went up!
So the next time you are conducting a meeting or giving a presentation, don’t forget to ask.
- Don’t be afraid to be bold. Most participants respect and respond to this.
- Be sure to be direct, don’t beat around the bush. Being direct helps to instill confidence and gain support.
- Last of all, be specific and very clear about what you need. A confusing petition will not get the support it deserves.
What about the last presentation you gave? Did you ask? Did you get the support you were looking for? Please let us know by posting a comment below.
This is very important and I have seen it used very well while working at a large telecommunications provider. Two people with totally different “styles” of conducting a meeting.
While one was poorly planned and the objectives were unlcear. The meeting too an entire week and didn’t cover all the ideas/problems/tasks that is needed to, mostly b/c time was wasted calling and contacting other people to get information that could or should have been gathered before the meeting began.
The other meeting conductor had one meeting several hours long with breaks. Before the meeting the conductor directed what information should be presented and gather to achieve the objective of the meeting. This cut out the need to IM/email/call to gather information during the meeting. In closing(!) the meeting tasks were assigned and a follow up planned.
I feel that planning for the meeting where you expect or need input from others is as important as closing the meeting!
Mark makes some great points about meetings:
1- There are several good reasons to call a meeting, and several good reasons not to. The difference between success and failure is knowing the difference!
2- Come prepared. There is nothing like participating in a meeting that is well-organized and well-prepared. This kind of meeting starts with a bang and continues forward momentum all the way to the end. We’ve all been victims of the opposite.
3- Play well and you get to play again. Getting people to attend your meetings is a breeze if you have a reputation for conducting productive meetings and nearly impossible if you consistently host meetings like the poorly organized, poorly run meeting in Mark’s example.
Thank you, Mark, very much for reminding each of us these important points!
Thanks for the ideas. I tried this in my last meeting with good results. By asking for a commitment, we were able to accomplish much more than expected and I’ve already received follow up.
Richard,
Thanks for the comment. I’m glad this worked out so well for you.
A great way to help people remember new concepts or ideas is to ask them to commit or accept the new ideas. The reason is because after an invitation to change or commit has been extended, the listener, in order to decide whether or not they will accept the invitation has to first go through a mind simulation of seeing themselves accepting this new concept. If they like what they feel or see during the mind simulation they will accept and if they do not, they will reject the invitation. Doing this mind will often raise questions. The reason you want your listeners to go through mind simulations is because it is one of the most effective ways for our minds to remember new information. This is the same reason why stories are so effective in helping us remember new concepts. When a story is used to teach a concept, as a listener we use our minds to visualize the story as it is told (mind simulation). I hope comment made sense. In a nutshell it is another reason why asking for a commitment is important
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Charles,
Thank you for sharing your ideas. It sounds like you have had a bit of experience with this!
I’d never heard of these concepts put quite this way and found them very useful. I’ll try this the next time I am in front of a group.
Thanks again,
Bill