HBR 20-Minute Manager Boxed Set (10 Books) (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)

When Good Meetings Go Bad

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• Keep members from evaluating or judging

each other’s ideas too quickly. For example, if it

seems like every idea that the team suggests is

getting attacked by other team members, you

can say, “Now there’s an idea. Let’s not evaluate

it just yet. Just let me write it down now, and

we’ll get reactions to it later.”

• Use probing questions to steer members away

from entrenched positions and to help un-

cover the underlying issues. “Work through

this thought with me: What would happen

if your group did agree to take on these new

responsibilities?”

• As a last resort, ask the most contentious indi-

viduals to leave the meeting and then catch up

with them later on.

You have a responsibility, as the meeting leader,

to ...