{"id":1534,"date":"2013-08-08T04:28:16","date_gmt":"2013-08-08T08:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/facilitativeleadership.wordpress.com\/?p=1534"},"modified":"2026-04-21T13:59:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T17:59:47","slug":"remove-distractions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/remove-distractions\/","title":{"rendered":"Effective Facilitators Remember to Remove Distractions to Provide More Focus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting participants to focus on the same thing at the same time represents one of the hardest thing to accomplish with a group of people. Therefore, learning to remove distractions reflects a core skill and primary responsibility of the meeting leader.<\/h2>\n

Your Rosetta Stone: Remove Distractions<\/em><\/h3>\n

Remember that all questions you have about what you can or should do may be answered by the question, \u201cIs it a distraction or not?\u201d<\/i> If it is not a distraction, then it should be acceptable. If it is a distraction, then it is your responsibility to remove distractions so that your group can remain focused on the topic.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, if you put your hands in your pocket to rest for a few minutes, it is probably OK. \u00a0However, if you start juggling your keys or coins, the distraction is unacceptable. If a participant closes their eyes, let them rest. If they start snoring, then intervene to remove the distraction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Core Skills Where You Need to Remove Distractions<\/em><\/h3>\n
\"Effective

Remove the Electronic Leashes<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

As a facilitator, you need to manage four core skills including presentation, active listening, questioning, and observation\/ neutrality.\u00a0 For these to be effective, you must reduce or eliminate distractions so that the group can stay focused.<\/span><\/p>\n

These four core skills are critical to effective facilitation.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Presentation<\/i> skills are necessary for effective communication<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Active listening<\/i> is a tool for effective understanding<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Questioning<\/i> is a tool for effective information-gathering<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Neutrality<\/i> is a tool for balance and integrity<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Removing distractions <\/b>is an essential discipline <\/b>for core skills and may guide all of your behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Note for example the challenges that correspond with the four skills:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Verbal disfluencies and fillers such as saying “Uhm” too often<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Observing something else when the meeting participant is talking<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Providing answers rather than method<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Making judgments or using the word “I” too often<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      ______<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

      Don\u2019t ruin your career by hosting bad meetings<\/a>. Sign up for a workshop<\/a> or send this to someone who should. MGRUSH<\/span><\/a><\/em> workshops focus on meeting design and practice. Each person practices tools, methods, and activities every day during the week. Therefore, while some call this immersion, we call it the road to building high-value facilitation skills.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Getting participants to focus on the same thing at the same time represents one of the hardest thing to accomplish with a group of people. Therefore, learning to remove distractions reflects a core skill and primary responsibility of the meeting leader. Your Rosetta Stone: Remove Distractions Remember that all questions you have about what you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[453185952],"tags":[453190834,453190786,453191105,453190823,453190824],"class_list":["post-1534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facilitation-skills","tag-build-consensus","tag-meeting-challenges","tag-meeting-problems","tag-provide-more-focus","tag-remove-distractions"],"yoast_head":"\nFacilitators Remember to Remove Distractions to Increase Focus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Getting participants to focus on the same thing, at the same time creates miracles. 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