You’ve planned the perfect meeting with the ideal people, at an inspiring venue, and a spot-on agenda. Nothing can get in your way, until a BEAR shows up. And boy is this bear persistent. It walked right up to our venue, peered into the windows, and put on a show. Competing with you for time and attention. This bear was not metaphorical. It was real and made me think on my toes! Pulling from my facilitator’s toolbox we made room for a unique team-building experience and still met our meeting goals. Below are helpful tips for any meeting that encounters interruptions, live bear or other. Note: Bear encounter happened March of 2020, pre-pandemic. No one was hurt.
Acknowledge the Interruption
Entertain the interruption. Sometimes you have no choice. Just look at this bear putting on an epic show. It has earned its 15 seconds of fame. Allow folks to ride the wave a bit, validate it, then bring it back. Often, a simple “let’s get back on track” should do the job. I also use a modified version of the “parking lot” but call it an “action board”. I listen carefully, then summarize their thoughts and ideas out loud and on a flip chart. Mentioning you heard them and that it needs continued attention outside of the meeting helps. The visual and verbal acknowledgment allows people to feel heard and ok with moving on.
Be Ready to Pivot
Having spent 10 years organizing trainings and events, I’ve seen all types of planners. Some who have a plan for every 30 seconds, and others that are comfortable with just ‘winging it’. In any case, the best presenters are always ready to pivot while keeping their eye on the ball. They allow a certain amount of off-topic tangents. Allowing participants to dive into topics while having a sense of what lies ahead that could be adjusted or skipped. In our case, I was able to cut a few slides and preserve time for deeper discussions and interactive activities.
Join-in and Check-in
Take a deep breath and don’t get overly stressed. Your job is to stay calm and composed. Allow the interruption to happen for a bit. For me, I initially saw the bear as a distraction. But when it kept returning I realized it was a way to build rapport with attendees. As you’re having fun, consider your options to wrap up the interruption or tie it back to the agenda. As you find your self having to adjust the agenda, check-in with the group to gain buy-in. Stay positive and assert your expertise by offering a recommendation but also be flexible to meet their interests/needs.
Have Contingency Plans (Bear Spray)
Ok, maybe not Bear spray, unless your retreat is in the woods. Do however, have contingency plans. One contingency plan I always have is around technology. Imagine you were having a bad technology day. The projector failed. Your data isn’t uploading in real time. The wrong printouts were delivered. Would you still have what you need to still be able to host the meeting? Don’t let technical issues throw you off. Focus on delivering the content at hand and facilitating the discussions that need to be had. Refrain from nervously calling out the issues. I once had a trainer that kept saying “if only we had laptops…” It made us feel we were missing out on a more ideal computer-based version of the training.
Read the Room
Though we have agendas, aren’t meetings really about what the group is getting out of the session? So take a step back, how is this interruption really impacting the group? Is it a topic that that group could benefit from? Is there an elephant in the room that should be addressed? In our case, the bear was a welcomed visitor (with us in the safety of an enclosed building). It was such unique moment for the team to experience together. It was clear this would be a meeting they wouldn’t forget. That said, it is our job to assess how long to let the interruption take place. What is it’s relevance and moving forward that is mindful of the group’s overall experience and take-aways.
Facilitating and leading meetings is a skill and it takes practice! One of the key reasons people are nervous about leading meetings is how to respond to the unexpected. Hope these tips help you prepare for the interruptions that are bound to happen, large, small, or bear!
Reach out! What are some of the unexpected things that have happened in your meetings?
Looking to host a fun and productive retreat with a great facilitator? We’re here to help.
