‘Active’ Listening

Active listening is wonderfully parodied by the actor Robert Lindsay in ‘The Helping Hand’: “Active listening? How am I supposed to listen ‘actively’? What do … Read more

PowerPoint Timers

Timers are great tools for making sure that people recognise how time is passing when they are engaged in a task. The idea here is … Read more

Influencing Options

Meetings are particularly effective when the people within them take ownership for working out what needs to be done and then commit themselves to do … Read more

Questions to influence the flow

In the article on  Influencing Options we looked at the importance of questions to develop and maintain ownership within the meeting.

Power positioning

Seats around a meeting room table are not all of equal influence. The smooth transfer of the conversation from one speaker to the next is … Read more

Hopes & Concerns

Hopes & Concerns is a tool which enables groups to outline and share their positive and negative feelings about an event from the outset.

Meetings Checklist

Phase 1 Clarity of purpose/process Is there a clear objective defined which warrants the meeting? Is it necessary (as a meeting) or can (at least … Read more

Seven Rules of Feedback

For most of us, feedback is an unresolved paradox between our head and our heart. Logically, we embrace the notion that feedback is essential to … Read more

Example Groundrules

The following groundrules are offered as an example for you to adapt or utilise as you wish. For more information, see Guidance on meeting groundrules.