Chairing A Meeting: Communication Considerations
Written by: Kendra Wormald / Professional Communication / October 04, 2023 / 10 minutes read
It is likely that at some point during your career, you will be provided with the opportunity to chair a meeting. In having this esteemed responsibility, you demonstrate to others that you are receptive, reliable, and a competent team member with knowledge of various work topics (Indeed, 2022). In this article, you will learn about the qualities and practices of an effective chairperson.
A chairperson can be defined as, “the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or event” (Merriam-Webster, 2023). It is synonymous with: chairman, chairwoman, chair, board, committee lead, senior officer, president or moderator. All these titles are unanimously responsible for facilitating meetings effectively and efficiently.
What Makes a Good Chairperson?
(Lewis, n.d.; iBABS, 2022; Indeed, 2022; Resource Centre, 2007)1. Active Listening: They balance speaking and listening. They use non-verbal communication such as head nodding, smiling, an open upright posture, eye contact and body positioning while listening. They listen not only to all the words but attend to the overarching message. They offer feedback by summarizing the speaker’s points and verifying understanding.
2. Verbal Expression: They can articulate their thoughts, goals and visions clearly and directly. They are intentional not to add to the teams’ cognitive load through the practice of word economy.
3. Assertiveness and Diplomacy: They are able to juggle everyone’s right to speak without interruption and move the conversation away from a dominant speaker. They are able to facilitate meetings without emotions, aggression or passiveness.
4. Impartiality: They do not come with a set belief but rather facilitate debate and provide guidance towards a consensus. They do not use their position to influence the board in any direction.
5. Adaptability: They are able to shift approach and perspective as information or circumstances unravel. Being adaptable helps build a robust and resilient team.
6. Empathy and Charisma: They have the ability to work with a diverse set of personalities and learning styles, are open to various perspectives and are sensitive to team needs.
7. Leadership and Clear Sense of Direction: They should be aware of their intended achievements and have a plan to get there. They set clear goals and priorities, delegate and think strategically. They are able to quickly identify key issues.
8. Time Management: They allot specific time constraints to topics and are aware of timing throughout the entire meeting.
9. Strategic Viewpoint: They see the big picture and think strategically how their teams’ work benefits the company as a whole.
10. Actionable: They take information, statistics and diverse viewpoints and make them actionable with an attainable concrete plan.
“When leaders know how to lead great meetings, there's less time wasted and less frustration. We have more energy to do the work that matters, realize our full potential, and do great things” (Rosenstein, 2015).
Before the Meeting
Prior to setting the meeting parameters, ask yourself if we need a meeting? In the workplace there’s nothing worse than attending a meeting that could have been an email. Use meetings as a tool for facilitation, not to share basic updates that don’t require discussion.
To chair a meeting well, you need to think about the meeting before you arrive at it. Ask yourself the following questions in advance of the meeting:
(Indeed, 2022; Resource Centre 2007, DIYCommittee, 2023)
Why are you having the meeting?
What end result do you want from it?
What will you discuss?
Will you require any technical assistance/resources?
How much time will you discuss each point?
Do you need to send out an agenda?
Do you need to get more information to inform the discussion?
Do you want to ask someone to prepare anything?
Do you want to distribute any information in advance of the meeting?
Who will take notes during the meeting?
These questions are not meant for the chair to bear on their own. Rather, it’s encouraged to speak with the secretary and/or team members to support this process. Asking your team what they want to discuss reinforces how you value them.
In the workplace there’s nothing worse than attending a meeting that could have been an email. Use meetings as a tool for facilitation, not to share basic updates that don’t require discussion.
After the Meeting
Let your team know that you are open to constructive feedback about the meeting
Review the minutes, is there anything still not clear or that was missed
Add any final decision or actionable steps
Reflect on what was successful and how you could improve
Communicating with Difficult People
We‘ve all experienced conflict in the workplace, particularly in a meeting setting. What do you do if someone doesn’t agree with you, or they keep cutting you off? The key is to remain assertive in your communication, no matter what.
”Assertive communication involves clear, honest statements about your beliefs, needs, and emotions. Think of it as a healthy midpoint between passive communication and aggressive communication. When you communicate assertively, you share your opinions without judging others for theirs.” (Raypole, 2020)
Assertive Framework
It is best to follow an outline when generating assertive communication, so as to not include unnecessary information and to remain direct, clear and unambiguous.
Identify the Problem: Put words to their actions, be careful not to make definitive statements such as ‘you always/never’, ‘ you are ___’.
The Impact: How has their actions impacted you/the company?
Perspective Taking: How might they see this situation? Try on ‘their shoes’
Highlight/positive/compliment: Research suggests a balance of both positive and constructive feedback is necessary to evoke desired change. Consider what a relevant compliment may be for this situation.
Action Plan: What can you suggest to avoid this conflict/behavior from reoccurring
Common Goal: Why is it important that this behavior be changed?
Example Scenario: During (virtual) meetings, one team member (Bob) constantly interrupts you. It feels that the person is challenging and/or undermining you.
Identify the Problem: Bob constantly interrupts me in meetings
The Impact: We look unorganized in front of clients, I lose my train of thought when cut off, it disrupts the forward flow of the meeting, makes me and others not want to contribute in fear of interjection
Perspective Taking: Bob has spent countless hours on this project and has a lot of information to share
Highlight/Positive/Compliment: Bob has great insights, we admire his enthusiasm, he’s always engaged
Action plan: Allow others to finish their thoughts prior to contributing. When you would like to comment, use the raise hand feature on Zoom.
Common goal: Establish a respectable working environment, demonstrate value of all contributions, present a more cohesive image to the client
“Bob, I wanted to talk to you about a dynamic that I observed in the meeting. I noticed that a few times while I was presenting a point, you would cut me off to present your own thoughts. It makes me lose my train of thought and disrupts the meeting flow. It also undermines our position in front of our client as it looks like we are not aligned. I understand that you’ve spent countless hours on this project and for that you bring a unique and educated perspective to the discussion. You're always very enthusiastic to contribute and that permeates on the rest of the team. Moving forward, I would like to request that you allow myself and others to finish their thoughts before presenting your own. Next time, take a moment to consider if the speaker is done by looking at body language, or use the raise hand feature prior to sharing your own thoughts. This way, we establish a respectable working environment where we feel that all perspectives are considered and valued equally.”
Keeping your cool and leaving out emotions is a key to remaining assertive. See our Masterclass Breathing for Communication to support this practice.
Conclusion
Chairing a meeting is a unique opportunity to demonstrate your own skills as well as acknowledge and support your team members’ perspectives, ideas and contributions. Failing to be intentional with each aspect of the meetings that you facilitate may lead to a breakdown in team rapport, engagement and overall productivity.
To speak with a psychotherapist or one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.
