Let’s get straight into it !
The #1 misconception about meeting facilitators is that they are responsible for generating buy-in to your organization’s call to action.
Let’s say you want to build a partnership with organizations doing similar work to address an emerging issue in your community.
You may have worked with some of these organizations before, but this would be the first time you’re coming together for a common goal.
Selecting potential partner organizations based on their area(s) of expertise, their networks, and your commonalities is the first step. Convening a meeting to introduce the idea of working together is second.
Next, you have to build the ask. This is the hardest part. Why should these organizations partner with you?
Creating an opportunity for these organizations to come together is one way to learn about your call to action for this partnership. If they’re showing up, it means they’re at least curious. But you need something compelling to draw them in and keep them engage.
When they arrive, they should already have a clear understanding of the goals for the meeting, what’s expected of them, how they are to participate, and what the meeting’s subject matter is about. At the end of the meeting, they should leave with a clear understanding of next steps and also know exactly their organization’s value-add to this partnership.
If you’re not clear on any of this, there’s only so much the meeting facilitator can do.
Your meeting facilitator’s job is to keep the meeting on track, encourage conversation, mitigate disruptions, pivot where necessary, and generate next steps. This is different from a workshop facilitator, whose role includes the aforementioned along with their subject matter expertise on full display.
The meeting facilitator can be highly engaging and have interesting activities, but it’s not their responsibility to convince your meeting participants to buy into your call to action.
Make sure you’re engaging the right participants. Do the work needed before, during, and after the meeting to engage your partners into anticipating what’s next. Doing this will make your meeting facilitator’s job easier.
Raise Your Voice: In the comments section below, name a common misconception you have about meeting facilitators.
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