Tip of the week: Encourage participation at meetings

Strong, but not dictatorial leadership is a key to encouraging open discussion and participation during meetings. The chair must manage the group and the meeting. He or she needs to set ground rules and announce them to the group before the discussion starts. For example:

• Set time limits on individual comments and limit participants to two comments until everyone has had a chance to contribute.
• Solicit comments from less active participants by asking an open-ended question that recognizes their expertise or knowledge, such as “You’ve had some experience with that, Charlie. What do you think?”
• Consider allowing participants to go off the record and avoid having their comments appear in the meeting minutes.
• During large, formal meetings, have individuals address their comments to the chair. This can prevent or tone down confrontation when discussion turns to controversial issues.

This week’s tip is adapted from The Medical Executive Committee Handbook, Third Edition by Mary Hoppa, MD, MBA, CMSL; Albert Fritz, MHA; and Richard Sheff, MD, CMSL.