8

Balancing Participation with Air Traffic Control

It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.

—WALT DISNEY

To achieve Holographic Thinking, you need everyone’s participation. The problem that usually occurs in most meetings is that the more assertive people dominate the conversation and the passive people drop out. This results in ideas being pushed through by an assertive minority opinion that does not integrate the whole.

If there is no speaking order and people just speak whenever they want to instead of listening to what the current speaker is saying, the more assertive people are concentrating on the speaker’s breathing (after all, everyone must inhale at some point), waiting for the right moment to jump in and say what they have to say. Then, if the initial speaker wasn’t completely finished, he may talk over the interrupter, or he may wait for the interrupter to take a breath and then jump back in (after all, two can play at this game). Meanwhile, others in the room who didn’t interrupt the original speaker quickly enough are paying even closer attention to breathing changes so that they too can have a turn.

While the assertive people play the breathing competition game, the more passive ones in the room simply drop out. Have you ever been in a meeting where you never hear from some people? For many, it is not worth it to compete to speak. The less assertive person may disagree with what is being said but chooses to remain silent. That person may have something brilliant to add, but you will never hear it. When the passive people drop out, it is like losing an eye; you no longer have depth perception. You automatically lose the hologram—and the highest value of the meeting.

At the same time, when the assertive people are competing to be heard, they are not really listening to other people’s points of view. They are listening for an opening and preparing what they have to say. In a sense, you lose that eye too, and again you lose the hologram. To make matters worse, after the meeting more time will be wasted because some passive people may sabotage the agreed-upon process because they didn’t really agree with it but didn’t express it at the meeting. In other cases, they may feel victimized and become Whiners who make others miserable.

Whether people are being assertive or passive, without a speaking order, there isn’t a lot of attention left to really listen.

THE OPPOSITE PROBLEM AT VIRTUAL MEETINGS WITH THE SAME RESULT

In a virtual meeting via computer or phone, you may run into a different problem. People can often be too polite, and when they finally do speak, they may bump into one another, making everyone a little more reserved. People may be paying attention, but you are not getting the brilliance of everyone’s unique points of view, thus no hologram.

There is absolutely no point in having a meeting if you are not going to listen to and understand each other. Meetings are for sharing ideas and points of view, not for competition or hearing yourself talk. Holographic Thinking requires everyone’s participation and attention.

Once you have a speaking order, there is no competition to be heard. This frees the assertive people to really listen to one another, and it allows the more passive people to feel safe enough to be heard. As each participant speaks, the others give the speaker their full attention. People feel like they are really being heard—because they are. The hologram is created, and the meeting results in higher-quality ideas.

USING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TO ELIMINATE REPETITION

Have you ever heard people repeat themselves at a meeting? Have you ever heard people repeat themselves at a meeting? Have you ever heard people repeat themselves at a meeting? When people repeat themselves, it usually means they have something important to say but they’re not sure others have heard them. When you balance participation with a speaking order, people relax and genuinely listen. People feel heard the first time, and it eliminates repetition.

THE TWO WAYS OF USING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

As mentioned in Chapter 6, I refer to the speaking order as the Q (for queue). Air Traffic Controllers make sure that the topic and process boxes accurately reflect the focus of the meeting at all times so that someone can walk into the room and know exactly what the group is focused on and how they are focusing on it.

The Q can be utilized in three ways:

1.  Voluntary—that is, raising a finger or a “virtual hand” to get in the Q

2.  Preestablished circular order

3.  Random order that will include everyone

Which one you use depends on other factors, such as whether the meeting is virtual or face-to-face, how many people are in the meeting, and if a group is exceptionally passive or aggressive.

Let’s first discuss the voluntary Q in a face-to-face meeting. If you are using a whiteboard for Air Traffic Control, then to the right of the topic and process boxes, create some vertical space to keep a Q. The Q is a list of who is going to speak. The only way to speak at the meeting is to get in the Q.

SPECIFYING A LIMITED TIME FRAME FOR SPEAKING

To allow everyone’s participation and to get the meeting done on time, there must always be a limited time frame to speak for any turn in the Q. Let’s say you are going to use the process of discussion for a total of 30 minutes. The Pilot begins the discussion by reiterating the topic and process and then stating how much time each person has to speak in the Q. This is very important. If you have six people in the room for this 30-minute discussion, divide the total time by the number of people. That would mean 5 minutes per person.

However, in a discussion there needs to be some amount of back-and forth, so people may need to speak more than once. In this case, the Pilot states that there is a 2-minute time limit to speak for any one turn in the Q. Just as there is always an overall time frame for each process (that is, 30-minute discussion), there is always a limited time frame for each turn in the Q. In my experience I’ve have found that 2 minutes is plenty of time for people to express a point of view.

Obviously, it is critical that the total time allotted on the agenda for the discussion on this particular topic be realistic to begin with. After stating the topic, the process, and the time to speak, the Pilot asks who has something to say. A number of people will raise their finger. The Air Traffic Controller who is taking care of the whiteboard lists their names in the Q (Figure 8.1). Once people have spoken, their names are erased.

FIGURE 8.1  Air Traffic Control Topic and Process Boxes on PowerPoint with Flight Recording

The only thing people have to do to get in the Q is raise a finger. I have found even the most passive person is willing to raise a finger, especially when the more assertive people aren’t dominating. Air Traffic Controllers, who are also participants at meetings, just add themselves to the Q when they have something to say.

WHEN TO USE A CIRCULAR Q INSTEAD OF A VOLUNTEER Q

If the meeting is virtual, it’s better to use a predetermined Q even if you are using meeting software that allows attendees to raise a virtual hand. Establish an order at the beginning of the meeting—that is, alphabetical by first name or last name.

If you are on a conference call, the speaking order should definitely be predetermined and already on the agenda.

In a face-to-face meeting, a circular order is also wise because it ensures that you hear from everyone. A circular order is simple, easy, and organized. However, if there is a large number of people in the room, for the sake of time, you may need to use voluntary.

In a virtual meeting that has too many participants to utilize a circular order, the Air Traffic Controller pays attention to the “hand-raised” signal in the virtual software’s control panel. In between the speakers, the Air Traffic Controller should announce the current upcoming order as in, “OK, thanks, Jack. Next we have Mary, then Sue, Marie, and Geoff.” That way people know their turn is coming and they are free to pay attention.

WHEN TO USE A RANDOM SURPRISE ORDER

In a virtual meeting, if you want to make sure people are staying on their toes, paying attention, and not multitasking, have a surprise order. Let everyone know they will get a chance to speak but that the Air Traffic Controller or Pilot will call on them at random. Let people know this ahead of time and ask them to be ready when they are given clearance to speak.

ASKING QUESTIONS OF ANOTHER PARTICIPANT

I am often asked, “What if you have a question about what someone else has said?” I have experimented with ways to handle that, and I have found the simplest solution is to get in the Q to ask your question. Yes, you may be five people down, but because everyone has been relaxed and listening to each other, and because of flight recording (Chapter 9), it makes it easy to come back to what someone said previously.

If the current person in the Q has a question to clarify what someone else has said, the person being asked temporarily has the floor to answer the question—but only to answer the question. The Pilot needs to pay close attention so that the speaker doesn’t expound, expand, or restate what he or she previously said. It is really the questioner’s time in the Q, not that of the person answering. If the people answering questions go too far, the Pilot must cut them off gently. The Pilot should then give questioners their full two minutes in the Q if they have a point of view to express, based on the answer. In some cases, the answer to the question will suffice.

HEAD WINDS, ADDING TIME FOR AN AGENDA ITEM

Sometimes the pilot may have to make judgments on the fly, changing the amount of time dedicated to certain agenda items. For example, let’s say a very fruitful discussion on a very important issue is taking place and time is running out for that item. The Pilot can make the judgment call that the discussion is more important than some other items on the agenda. As you recall from Chapter 4, “The Art of the Agenda,” ordering the more important items first facilitates this kind of flexibility.

Pilots can decrease the amount of time for another item and add that time to the current discussion, or they can choose to delete an upcoming item altogether, freeing up that time. Once Pilots decide a change must be made, they should inform everyone, but in a way that doesn’t disrupt the discussion. The Pilot should wait until the current person in the Q is finished speaking and then say, “Excuse me for interrupting, but I think we need a bit more time for this discussion, so we are going to put off talking about the XYZ project until next time, which gives us an additional 20 minutes for this discussion.”

Then the Pilot yields the floor to the next person in the Q. However, if someone has a comment related to this process decision, he raises his hand at this moment, and the Pilot acknowledges him: “Tim, you have a thought on this decision?” And Tim might say, “Yes, I need to give the XYZ client our decision by the end of the day, and I really need an opinion from the group related to the agenda item we are postponing.” In such a case, the Pilot might keep that agenda item and remove another item. Or perhaps the Pilot can suggest another option for accomplishing that result. “Why don’t you, Frank, and Sally get together for 15 minutes after we are done, since you are really the major decision makers on this? Anyone else who has something to contribute can also stay.”

ENDING A DISCUSSION

Another part of the Pilot’s responsibility is to pay attention to the length of the Q and what it represents in future time. For example, let’s say a discussion is taking place and there is only 15 minutes left on the agenda for the item. The Pilot sees that there are seven people in the Q, and a maximum of 2 minutes has been established for each turn in the Q.

If all seven people take their full 2 minutes, it will require 14 minutes. Therefore, after whoever is currently speaking is through but before the next person in the Q begins, the Pilot should say, “Excuse me for interrupting, but I see we are going to complete our time with the people remaining, so we are closing the Q.” On a whiteboard the Air Traffic Controller then draws a line underneath the last person’s name in the Q, and no one else is allowed in the Q unless the Pilot changes the amount of time allotted for that agenda item.

By using an Air Traffic Control Q, everyone will relax and listen to one another. Combining that with the topic and process boxes becomes exponentially more powerful. Suddenly the group is focused on the same topic, everyone is using the same process, participation is balanced, you know the timing of the flight plan (this meeting won’t go on forever), and contributing is as easy as raising a finger. The Air Traffic Control Q is essential to people understanding one another’s points of view, to supporting Holographic Thinking, and to producing higher-quality integrated ideas and results.

THE AUDITORY SIGNAL FOR AGREEMENT

An important part of the Meeting Jet process for face-to-face meetings will be for the group to establish an auditory signal that represents “agreement” but doesn’t drown out the speaker. This signal cannot be used in virtual meetings or conference calls, but it is very effective in face-to-face meetings. Here are some examples: rapping on the table (which is what the Canadian Parliament does), tapping a pen on a glass, doing the golf clap (a quiet clap), or saying “Hear, hear.”

This is an important part of the process for a number of reasons. Imagine the group is in a discussion and there are seven people in the Q who have a maximum of two minutes each. If Mary is the seventh person and she wants us to know where she stands on what some of the other people before her said, she might spend her entire two minutes reiterating what they had said to note her agreement. Perhaps she actually has something else to contribute with her two minutes, but she will use up her time reiterating. Even if people have nothing new to contribute to the discussion but want to let the group know where they stand, they will have to get in the Q. An auditory signal saves time. People don’t need to get in the Q just to let others know they agree.

When using the auditory signal, often the last few people in a Q will drop themselves off the list because they have already let the group know where they stand. Or if they feel the need to reinforce something that has been said, they usually add another dimension to it, which tends to shorten discussion time while increasing its quality.

The auditory signal also speeds things up by taking the group’s temperature on a point of view rather quickly. If Mark says, “I think we should survey the membership to find out what they think the priorities of the national association should be,” and suddenly 10 of 10 people are tapping their glass, then you immediately know how important that point is to the group.

Another advantage of the auditory signal is to give speakers some sort of feedback. Owing to the orderliness of the Q and the polite listening atmosphere that occurs when using the Meeting Jet process, speakers are addressing a quiet room. The auditory signal serves as an acknowledgment to speakers of their contribution.

Take note, there is no signal for disagreement. If you have a consideration or differing point of view, you will just get in the Q and state it when it’s your turn.

Criteria for the Auditory Signal

Everyone in the room will be using the same signal, so it is important that the group agree what that signal will be ahead of time. This shouldn’t take more than five minutes. Write the criteria for the auditory signal on a flip chart and then have the group make some suggestions that fulfill all of the criteria. Then have them vote. Done.

The criteria for establishing your signal are as follows:

1.  It must be auditory.

2.  It must not be so loud that it distracts from what the speaker is saying.

3.  Everyone must be willing and able to do it.

I have sat in on meetings in which the group has implemented my Meeting Jet process but left out the auditory signal. It is not the same. Trust me on this; you need to try it to experience its usefulness. Encourage everyone to use it. It will make a big difference, in terms of saving time, decreasing repetition, giving speakers the feeling that they were heard, taking the group’s temperature on an idea quickly, and uplifting the energy of the meeting.

Auditory Signals for Virtual Meetings and Conference Calls

It is completely out of the question to use the auditory signal on conference calls or in virtual meetings because it would get in the way of hearing the speaker. However, when using virtual meeting software, if you have everyone’s webcams turned on, it is possible to have a visual signal, such as a thumbs-up or silent clapping, which will accomplish the same purpose.

In the next chapter we’ll explore another critical factor in creating the hologram: flight recording.

The One That Almost Got Away

At a strategic planning conference that I facilitated, we broke into four groups of 20 people each. Each group had a computer projecting onto a screen on which to take notes on what people said. The participants in each group sat around in a circle. I instructed the facilitator of each group to use a circular Q to hear from everyone as many times as the period for each agenda item allowed.

Afterward, a woman in my group told me that in a group like this she never would have volunteered to speak. But because it was so relaxed and everyone had a turn, she felt comfortable contributing. In my opinion, what she contributed each time she spoke was brilliant. Had we not used the circular Q, we never would have heard from her, and her brilliance would have been lost.

—Dr. Rick Brinkman

I Grunt You

When I joined a particular board that had a history of dysfunction and infighting, I suggested that the auditory signal be grunting. That’s right, grunting. I chose grunting because it was fun to do and it lightened everyone up. Even though some were reluctant and embarrassed at first, most people began to enjoy grunting, although others reserved the right to just say the words, “grunt, grunt.” That was close enough.

Our meetings transformed. As years passed, people used the word “grunt” in an additional way. They would say to each other, “I grunt what you are saying.” As new members joined the board, they all started using “grunt” in the same way without its ever being explained to them!

—Dr. Rick Brinkman

SUMMARY

1.  Air Traffic Control is about creating a speaking order called a Q.

2.  If there is no official speaking order, then

•   The assertive people compete to speak, interrupting one another and not really listening to one another.

•   The passive people drop out and remain silent.

3.  The Q can be utilized in the following three ways:

•   Voluntary: raising a finger or a “virtual hand”

•   Preestablished circular order

•   Random order that includes everyone

4.  There must always be a time limit to speak for any turn in the Q.

5.  In virtual meetings and conference calls, a circular order should be used.

6.  The Pilot may add time to a process from another topic of lower priority.

7.  The Pilot must close the Q at some point to keep the meeting on course and on time.

8.  An auditory signal should be established for face-to-face meetings.

•   Criteria for the signal

   It must be auditory.

   It must not be so loud that it distracts from what the speaker is saying.

   Everyone must be willing and able to do it.

•   There is no auditory signal for conference calls or virtual meetings. You can use a visual signal instead.