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This is one article from the issue of September, 2002.
For other stories and articles, go to the Current Issue.
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Management |
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Building Team Spirit Online
Part 3: Staying On Focus
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In the last two issues, we've introduced the notion of distributing key duties and responsibilities of meeting management across lots of people. It keeps them engaged, and makes sure they're listening to what's going on. We introduced the role of the "Time Keeper" (July, 2002), who manages the meeting's schedule, and the "Journal Keeper" (August, 2002), who keeps track of decisions and drafts the agenda for the next meeting.
The third role we consider important is the "Relevance Keeper," responsible for keeping everyone focused on the agenda. People have minds, and minds make connections. Often, someone will say something that sparks another conversation altogether...leading further and further away from the purpose of the meeting.
While the Time Keeper watches the clock, the Relevance Keeper listens to the subject of discussion. When it appears to drift off—either with a long, meandering monologue, or through several people trading remarks that may not be related to the agenda item—the Relevance Keeper asks one key question: "Can you help me understand how this discussion is relevant to the agenda item before us?" By making it a question, it leaves open the possibility that someone can make the connection.
The hardest job of the Relevance Keeper is to challenge the most senior person in the room. If the boss goes off on a tangent, title and authority should be no defense. As the meeting leader, if you're not sure the Relevance Keeper would really step up and ask the key question, perform a test: Purposely lead the conversation away from the agenda item, and wait for the Relevance Keeper to step up to their responsibility. And, if they don't, you can gracefully bring it to their attention with, "Well, all that seems to be off the point; sorry for the diversion."
By assigning the role to a different person for each meeting, no one person ends up being labelled the habitual "spoilsport." Eventually, the team will no longer need this role assigned at the start of most meetings, because staying "on focus" will have become a habit.
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