{"id":328,"date":"2023-08-22T00:07:44","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T04:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/facilitativeleadership.wordpress.com\/?p=328"},"modified":"2026-04-21T12:53:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:53:38","slug":"meeting-introduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/meeting-introduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Just Start Meetings, LAUNCH Them in 5 Minutes or Less"},"content":{"rendered":"

Successful meetings and workshops comprise three essential phases: a beginning<\/span>, a middle, and an end<\/a>. Yet, meetings often fail because leaders ignore the importance of one or more of these. <\/span><\/h2>\n

In this Best Practices article, we\u2019ll focus on phase one, the beginning, or meeting introduction<\/span>, by detailing seven consecutive activities that, easily mastered, ensure stronger meeting and workshop launches. Also, here is a link<\/span><\/span> to four activities to command a professional wrap<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Start with the End in Mind<\/strong><\/h3>\n

An effective meeting introduction relies on the leadership consciousness that knows what the result looks like. Yet describing the results of a successful meeting is not enough. The name for each agenda step needs to describe its result or deliverable. Remember, the objective for each agenda step or activity is an object\u2014a noun. You cannot deliver a verb. Agenda steps are best described by answering the question, \u201cWhat does DONE<\/strong> look like?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We begin by detailing seven activities that you should command for every Launch (Introduction). In a separate Best Practices<\/em><\/a> article you will find a detailed explanation of four activities that you should command for every Review and Wrap<\/a> (Conclusion). <\/span><\/p>\n

Launching — Your Meeting Introduction<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Your launch sets the tone, confirms roles, clarifies boundaries (scope), and describes what results will be generated during the session. A meeting launch should last no longer than 5 minutes (excluding icebreakers<\/a> or other special activities such as an executive kickoff or a product or project update).<\/span><\/p>\n

Transfer Ownership<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Make sure that your participants<\/a> understand that this meeting has a clear purpose and impact. Use the integrative and plural<\/a> first person of ‘we’ or ‘us’ and avoid the singular ‘I’ so that you begin to transfer responsibility and ownership to the participants who need to own the results.<\/span><\/p>\n

Visual Confirmation<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Before you start your meeting, have your in-person or online room set up to visually display the meeting purpose, meeting scope, <\/a>and meeting deliverables. If you cannot simplify each statement into 25 words or less (for each), then you are not ready to launch your session.<\/strong> In particular, if you do not know what the deliverable looks like, then you do not know what success looks like, or when you will be DONE<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Display the meeting purpose, scope, and deliverable on a slide, screen, whiteboard, handheld artifact, or large Post-it\u00ae paper.<\/a> Additionally, display the agenda and ground rules<\/a> appropriate to your politics<\/a> and situation. Use the following seven activities in sequence to launch every session, even a 50-minute meeting. Your meeting introduction is not an appropriate time to experiment. These seven activities (plus occasional Kick-off<\/em>), in this sequence, have been stress-tested and proven to be most effective, assuring a clear and compelling launch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Seven

Seven Meeting Launch Activities<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Seven Meeting Introduction (Launch) Activities<\/strong><\/h3>\n

ONE — Roles and Impact<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Introduce yourself in the role of facilitator as neutral and unbiased. Stress their roles of participants as equals. Remind them to leave egos and titles in the hallway. Stipulate how much money or time (FTP)[<\/sup>\u2660<\/sup>]<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0is wasted or at risk if the meeting and thus the organization, product, or project fails. Complete this activity within 30 seconds. Avoid using the word \u201cI\u201d after this activity. It is tough to drop the ego but remain conscious whenever you use the first person singular<\/a>. Complete this first activity within 30 seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Time<\/a>

Time is Short, Let’s Begin<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

TWO — Meeting Purpose<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Describe the meeting purpose<\/a>, either on large-format paper, a handout, or a screen. Stress again that this session is important because… and seek audible confirmation<\/strong> from your participants. Frequently, for this first request, put your hands to your ears while saying \u201cI can\u2019t hear you\u201d to force a louder audible response. Professional facilitators constantly strive to shift \u201cairtime\u201d to their participants, and participants\u2019 vocal affirmation transfers ownership.<\/span><\/p>\n

THREE — Meeting Scope<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Describe the meeting scope, either on large-format paper, a handout, or a screen. The meeting scope is either the entire organization, department, product, or project, or part of them, but never more. Again, secure an audible assent from your participants that builds consensus<\/a> and transfers ownership.<\/span><\/p>\n

FOUR — Meeting Deliverable<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Describe what DONE<\/span> looks like by using your prepared statement. After securing audible assent here, you will have facilitated audible agreement three times within two minutes. If participants cannot agree on the meeting purpose, meeting scope, and meeting deliverables, then your agenda <\/span>is at risk, and you have a more serious problem to address.<\/span><\/p>\n

NOTE: This meeting purpose, scope, and deliverable should be provided to participants before the meeting as part of an invitation, pre-read<\/a>, or read ahead. The prepared statements should<\/span> not <\/i><\/span>change at this point. If they do, the meeting may be challenged, and the agenda <\/span>may no longer be valid. I have been asked to modify the scope a few times, but it was always sharpening and not broadening the prepared statement ( Who knew that Greenland and part of Iceland are in North America?).<\/span><\/p>\n

I frequently put hands to my ears while saying \u201cCan\u2019t hear you\u201d to force a louder audible response. Professional facilitators constantly strive to shift \u201cairtime\u201d to their participants, and their vocal affirmation transfers ownership.Be particularly careful to describe what DONE looks like (the deliverable). After securing audible assent here, you will have facilitated consensus three times within two minutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

FIVE — Housekeeping<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Explain that housekeeping or \u201cadministrivia\u201d is any noise that might be causing a distraction. You want to clear participants\u2019 heads from thinking about themselves, especially their creature comforts. For brief meetings, you might include where to locate emergency exits, fire extinguishers, lavatories, or coffee and tea. For workshops and longer meetings, you would also cover the frequency of breaks, break times for responding to emails, lunch arrangements, and any other <\/span>\u201c<\/span>noise\u201d<\/span> that might prevent participants from staying focused. You may also conduct Icebreakers<\/em> here, or after presenting the Ground Rules <\/em><\/a>described as the seventh <\/span>activity below<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

SIX — Meeting Agenda<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Describe each Agenda Step<\/em>, including the reason for the sequence of the Agenda Steps<\/em> and flow. Explain how the Agenda Steps<\/em> relate to one another. Do not read them. Rather, explain why<\/em> the Agenda Steps <\/em>help us get DONE<\/span> and why they are listed in the sequence provided. Link Agenda Steps<\/em><\/a> back to the deliverable so that participants see how completing each Agenda Step<\/em> helps us get DONE<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Fully explaining the Agenda Steps<\/em> helps groups move out of \u201cstorming,\u201d Stage 1 of the group life cycle. Again, do not<\/em> read the Agenda Steps<\/em> \u2014explain them! Optimally, use a nonprofessional analogy to explain your Agenda Steps<\/em>.[\u2663]<\/span><\/sup><\/a> You have heard that a picture is worth a thousand words; well, an analogy<\/a> is worth a thousand pictures (and a story is worth a thousand analogies).<\/span><\/p>\n

SEVEN — Ground Rules<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Share appropriate Ground Rules<\/em><\/a><\/span>. Most importantly, explain why they are being used. Supplement your narrative posting of Ground Rules<\/em> with audiovisual support, including humorous clips, but keep it brief. After presenting your essential Ground Rules<\/em>, solicit any additional ones from the group, if desired.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Explain each ground rule (not more than nine). For professional meetings, we treat ‘speaking up’ in a meeting, NOT as an opportunity, rather as an obligation. After all, they are being paid to be there. We stress that “consensus” does not mean that we’ll make everybody happy, rather we will find an answer that everyone can support. See the MGRUSH<\/span><\/em>\u00a0alumni site<\/a> for some other examples and audio-visual support.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Optional or Occasional (Eighth) Activities<\/strong><\/h4>\n