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In-Flight Entertainment: Meeting Processes

Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those doing it.

—CHINESE PROVERB

There are eight different processes that you can use at a meeting. All are not used at every meeting. Which processes are used simply depends on what you are trying to accomplish with each agenda item. However, some processes usually go together or in sequence.

Let’s explore the eight meeting processes:

1.  Brainstorming

2.  Matching

3.  Mismatching

4.  Discussion

5.  Presentation

6.  Question and answer (Q&A)

7.  Rating, voting, and decision-making

8.  Follow-up

As we have explored, to create focus at a meeting everyone must be focused on the same topic and use the same process. This is why we have the topic and process boxes on an erasable visual device. Only one process can be performed at a time, so there should always be only one process in our Air Traffic Control process box. The only exception to this rule is presentation and Q&A, which we will explore shortly. In addition, all processes must have a time frame, which is also written in the process box.

There are typically five processes used for generating and analyzing ideas: brainstorming, matching, mismatching, rating, and discussion.

BRAINSTORMING

In a brainstorm, participants volunteer ideas without any qualification, restriction, or comment by others. Participants are encouraged to think aloud and suggest as many ideas as possible, no matter how outlandish or bizarre. The intent is to generate creative ideas and solutions. After the brainstorm, the ideas go through an analysis that includes extracting the participants’ criteria.

In one of my seminars, we did an exercise to generate outrageous customer service ideas for a healthcare professional’s office. One person said, “I want a hot tub in the waiting room.”

To extract the criteria, we asked, “Why? What would that do for you?”

He said, “Then I would be relaxing instead of waiting.”

Another person in the group volunteered, “My chiropractor has a relaxation room with soft lighting, comfortable lounge chairs, and soft relaxing music with nature sounds. I’m disappointed when he comes to get me.”

Behind every outrageous idea there are valuable criteria that may be fulfilled in a different way. Always dig a little deeper to uncover them.

MATCHING AND MISMATCHING

Matching is when participants state only what they like about the current idea. Mismatching is when participants state only what they don’t like about the current idea. You do both to analyze a particular idea, but they must always be done separately. I can’t emphasize this enough. By separating the two, you get the group to step back in a neutral fashion from any preformed opinions they may have. As a team, the group first collects all matches for an idea, and once that process is complete, they switch to mismatch. If you go in circular order and let people say either a match or a mismatch, they will express only that which fits their opinion. In an unstructured meeting, simultaneous match and mismatch is what tends to happen. When people say something they like about an idea, others respond with, “Yeah, but . . .”

In general, I suggest doing matching first. Once you identify everything that you like about an idea, it puts the mismatches in a different perspective, as just criteria to address to make the idea happen.

You can flight record matching and mismatching in two ways, in columns or in an outline. When you are using a flip chart, the Flight Recorder writes the idea at the top with a line down the middle. In one column the Flight Recorder writes all the matches, and in the other, all the mismatches. If you are using a computer connected to a monitor as your visual device, I recommend using an outlining program. Create a heading representing the idea and subheadings for matching and mismatching. Again, you never match and mismatch at the same time. This only invites a shooting gallery or a tug-of-war.

RATING

After the matching and mismatching process, it’s a good idea to rate the ideas on the basis of relative priority. You could have an idea that has only three matches and eight mismatches. However, the importance of the three matches greatly outweighs the significance of the eight mismatches. In that case, the eight mismatches are considerations to work out with further thought, or perhaps they are not relevant.

Maybe it’s the other way around. There are eight matches but only one mismatch that is huge such as, “Federal regulations make it illegal.” In that case, you need the group to go back to the intent they are trying to accomplish, include the federal regulation on the list of criteria, and go back to brainstorming.

Once you have gone through all the matches and mismatches and prioritized them, you may switch to a discussion. Now that people see the big picture of all the positive and negative factors, you want to hear from everyone what they think.

GOING IN A CIRCLE TO STAY ON COURSE

When using the processes of brainstorming, matching, or mismatching, don’t use the volunteer Q. Establish a circular order and go around the room, letting people say one idea, match, or mismatch (depending on the process being used at the time). In a typical brainstorm in which people just call things out, it can be hard for the Flight Recorder to keep up. When it is their turn in the circular order, people aren’t required to offer an idea. They can pass. Continue until either the time limit established for the process is up or the group runs out of ideas to add. In virtual meetings, the circular Q is always preferable to the voluntary. In a phone-only meeting, a predetermined order is required, but a conference call is not recommended for idea analysis because the lack of visuals prevents participants from seeing all factors at once.

If the meeting has more than 20 attendees and time is limited, you may want to allow people to give voice to more than one idea when it’s their turn to speak.

PRESENTATION

The presentation part of the process is when a person expounds on an idea, proposal, or report to the group without interruption or questions. It is good for a presenter to have visuals—that is, PowerPoint—but the presenter should never simply read off the PowerPoint. The slides should have bullets that include facts, figures, and important ideas the presenter elaborates on.

QUESTION AND ANSWER

This process usually follows a presentation, but it also can take place during the course of the presentation. The latter is the only situation in which there can be two processes in the process box.

It can save time to separate them because questions may be asked that will be answered by the presentation itself. In that case, a presenter may defer them. However, an advantage of merging them is that the presenter may leave out some underlying fact or assumption that is critical to the group’s understanding, and a well-timed question will uncover that missing piece.

DISCUSSION

This is one of the most important interactions at a meeting. In a discussion, participants offer their opinions or points of view on a particular topic, during which additional important criteria often will be revealed. A strict time limit should be established beforehand for each turn in the Q. When determining the overall time frame for a discussion process, you will need to consider the following:

1.  The nature of the topic—that is, whether it is a “hot topic,” where there may be differences of opinion to be resolved, or a “fun topic,” where everyone will have something to say, or a “crickets topic,” where no one will want to say anything.

2.  The number of attendees—consider the factors in the first consideration above multiplied by the number of people.

3.  How much you think they will have to say.

4.  The amount of time available—have enough time for multiple turns in the Q so that people can respond to one another.

This is where having a realistic sense of time comes in handy when creating the agenda. Otherwise, you set the group up for failure. Make sure you always make a note of how long a discussion actually takes or how much more time was necessary.

RATING, VOTING, AND DECISION-MAKING

Rating is when the group prioritizes a list of items. The items can be a list of criteria gathered during matching or mismatching or during a brainstorm or discussion.

Let’s say we have a list of criteria on a flip chart, and we want to get a sense of the relative priorities of the criteria. I might ask people to copy the list on a piece of paper and rate each one on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being least important and 5 most important. Then I would go in circular order around the room and put people’s numbers next to each of the criteria. Once we add the numbers, voilà, we have a rating of priority.

Voting involves making a decision on the agenda item discussed.

How decisions are made in an organization depends on its hierarchy and culture. Sometimes people provide their input and the one in command makes the decision, whereas in other cases, such as a board of directors, a vote determines the outcome.

FOLLOW-UP

The Flight Recorder’s responsibility in follow-up is threefold. One, at the end of each agenda item, the Flight Recorder or the Pilot (if those roles are merged) should summarize the following:

•   What has been discussed

•   Decisions

•   Next steps

•   Who will take the next steps

•   When they will take them

Two, the Flight Recorder should send complete notes to all participants, resource people, and need-to-know people. Three, the Flight Recorder should excerpt the actions or commitments plus related notes each individual will take. The Flight Recorder should send them in separate e-mails with clear subject lines.

The Volunteer Games

I was on a board of directors where people resisted officer positions. Whenever we asked, “Who is interested?” all we heard in the room was crickets. Then the few of us who always stepped forward would step forward again. After a few years of that, those of us who always volunteered realized we needed to create a more sustainable model of leadership development.

I proposed that if we couldn’t work it out, the fallback position would be to roll dice, and those who had already served in the role would not be eligible. So if you hadn’t served in that role, you would receive a number from 1 to 6, and we would roll the dice for treasurer, secretary, and the other positions. In creating the agenda, I decided to inject a little humor by writing the following:

Agenda item: Officer elections

Time: 10:49 to whenever (No one leaves until it’s done.)

Purpose: Decide on the president-elect, VP, secretary, and treasurer.

Process:

•   Discuss.

•   Nominate.

•   Try to hide under the table.

•   Have to suddenly run to the bathroom.

•   Pretend to receive an important call.

•   Go through the stages of grief.

•   Accept the inevitable.

•   Bite the bullet and go for it.

And you know what, it worked. We didn’t have to come down to dice.

—Past president, Volunteer working board member

SUMMARY

The eight meeting processes:

1.  Brainstorming

2.  Matching

3.  Mismatching

4.  Discussion

5.  Presentation

6.  Question and answer (Q&A)

7.  Rating, voting, and decision-making

8.  Follow-up