Tip of the week: Meeting chair must actively manage to ensure participation

Sometimes it is not truly the group that makes the decision, but rather a few dominant individuals who monopolize the discussion and leave no room for less aggressive meting attendees to speak. Those who are hesitant to voice their opinion might need encouragement, and a participatory-style meeting might provide the right environment for such discussion.

Strong, but not dictatorial, leadership is key to a successful participatory-style meeting. The chair needs to set ground rules and announce them to the group before discussion begins. Sample ground rules might be setting time limits on individual comment and limiting participants to two comments until everyone has had a chance to contribute. If a person is still reluctant to contribute, the chair can actively solicit a comment by asking an open-ended, non-confrontational question, such as, "What do you think of that, Carmen?"