Meetings are where collaboration happens, decisions are made, and trust is built—or at least, that's the goal! In this summary, we'll dive into two critical aspects of running engaging and effective meetings: managing time and balancing the dual roles of participant and facilitator. Whether you're leading a team meeting, a strategy session, or a brainstorming workshop, these tips will help you make the most out of your time together. This is Part 3 of our How to Lead Engaging Meetings series. Part 1 focused on setting clear objectives and in Part 2 we learned how to apply facilitation principles to everyday meetings.

Key Takeaways:

• Effective timekeeping balances structured agendas with flexibility, using tools like clear shared and personal objectives and parking lots to stay on track
• When a meeting runs over, carefully consider inclusion and how to maintain decision-making integrity if not everyone can stay
• Leaders can navigate dual roles by delegating facilitation tasks, explicitly switching between facilitator and participant modes, and recognizing the inherent power dynamics of leadership

Time-Keeping: When to Stick to It and When to Let It Go

Respecting people's time is critical, but so is responding to the needs of the group in real-time.

Tips for Managing Time:

• Prioritize agenda items: Before the meeting, determine what's essential versus what's nice-to-have. For example, is building trust more important than making a decision today? Clarifying your priorities in advance will help you adjust in the moment.
• Refer back to the objectives and use a "parking lot": Acknowledge secondary topics and commit to revisiting them later to keep the meeting on track.
• Stay flexible: adrienne maree brown reminds us in Emergent Strategy that "there is a conversation in the room that only these people at this moment can have." Listen to the room and recognize when the group's needs may diverge from the agenda.
  • Note: There's a difference between doing this intentionally in the moment vs. letting the first/loudest voice fill a vacuum of planning!

If You're Running Over:

• Take a moment 5–10 minutes before the scheduled end time to acknowledge the time and check with participants about staying longer.
• If not everyone can stay, clearly outline how you'll wrap up and when the discussion will continue.
• If some people can stay late and some people can't, and you decide to run over anyway, be mindful about whose voice is being excluded. You'll need to carefully consider how to ensure buy-in to the results if you continue without the full group.

💡 Timekeeping Pro Tip: I don't include specific times on agendas I share with attendees. That way, I can let a warm-up question take 20 minutes instead of 10 if that's what the group needs.