CPF

When facilitation is not the answer

Facilitation, understood as designing and leading a participatory group process, can have a transformative effect. In the hands of a skilled professional, a facilitated process can help a group discuss [...]

The Facilitator’s Tightrope

Inserting a facilitator into a group´s existing power dynamics is a risky business. Often a facilitator’s help is requested because dysfunctional behaviors are inhibiting the group´s effectiveness. The client allegedly [...]

Hidden Agendas in Meetings

When you hear the words “hidden agendas,” what comes to mind? Clandestine plots? Power games? Conspiracies lurking in the meeting room? What if, in the planning phase of a meeting, [...]

How long should a meeting last?

When someone asks me “How long should a meeting last?” the underlying question often is “How can we avoid meetings that drag on with no apparent end in sight?” The [...]

How to be inclusive without being boring?

With the good intention of 'being inclusive,' meeting organizers sometimes propose dynamics that are more boring than productive. Some typical examples of these mistaken practices include: A round of introductions [...]

The art of closing a meeting

Having focused on the human factor in meetings, we want to also reflect on a meeting moment that everyone eagerly awaits but often no one has planned for very well: [...]

Why your meetings need breaks

Breaks are strategies to increase participation and satisfaction in meetings. Let´s reflect for a moment about the meaning of this statement from the point of view of the three principal [...]

Meetings and Innovation

In a world where innovation is discussed in relation to every organizational area, why do meetings remain stuck in the 19th century? We know that meetings, whether face-to-face or virtual, [...]

Does every decision require consensus?

The short answer to the question “Does every decision require consensus?” is “No, of course not! The even shorter answer is “It depends.” Groups implementing consensus process for the first [...]

Never compete with a smart phone

You will lose. People who are checking their email, exchanging text messages, surfing the web, tweeting or playing "Words with Friends" during a meeting are NOT fully engaged with the [...]