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How do I keep the meeting on track?

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Meeting facilitation is about keeping the meeting flowing, on track, and on time. It�s the meeting facilitator�s job to keep a close eye on the time, and to help participants work through issues that may be holding up the meeting.

A good facilitator knows that it�s up to the participants, not himself or herself, to make the decisions posed in a meeting. As a facilitator, you should guide the discussion by setting an agenda up front; helping move the conversation along, while staying neutral; reminding participants of the goal of the meeting to keep them on track; steering conversation back to topic when participants veer off subject; and watching the time to close the meeting when you said you would. Employees feel respected when their time is respected, and that includes finishing the meeting as scheduled.

Of course, every meeting that lasts longer than a couple of hours requires breaks, especially when you�re serving refreshments. A few tips on breaks:

Set scheduled break times. At those times, ask the group whether they prefer to go ahead and break, or whether they want to continue. If they choose to continue, get agreement on when the next break will be.
Ask people to return in a certain number of minutes, rather than at a certain time, so that you ensure everyone is on the same time schedule.
When people start leaving the room at unscheduled times, acknowledge that fact and see whether everyone else needs a break.

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