Getting participants in a meeting or workshop to share their thoughts freely and listen to others with an open mind is at the heart of what expert facilitators get hired for, and take pride in doing, in meetings that matter. Human and social dynamics must be dealt with before questions of process and meaningful work can be attempted. Facilitation methods and styles differ, but, in essence, participants are meant to believe that the meeting at hand is special and therefore the regular rules of daily business do not apply, things like not criticizing an idea if it comes from the boss.
Unfortunately, despite the facilitator’s best efforts, most participants prefer to play it safe in special meetings too and for good reason. For instance, are they really to believe that bosses who generally do not welcome criticism will suddenly do so? Can facilitators really offer protection against those knowing glances, raised eyebrows, and smirks which can be just as damaging as open ridicule? Are colleagues likely to forgive critical comments because today’s meeting matters? Probably not!
For participants, not turning up may be their safest bet. If they must attend, most will go with the flow, by finding something constructive and inoffensive to say and happily signaling polite attention when somebody else volunteers to speak and pass the time. Flipcharts and whiteboards can still be filled, and outcomes can be presented, giving the impression that the subject has been properly dealt with.
Only, it hasn’t. Whatever the excuses, when the truth is withheld and prejudice or bias dominate perceptions, that has consequences. Critical information and good ideas go to waste. Opportunities are missed, or worse.
