Comment pouvez-vous garder les réunions sur la bonne voie et éviter les tangentes ?

I follow the below pointers in the meeting agenda to establish clear objectives as well as when kicking off the meeting: 1. Encourage concise updates. 2. Use time limits for discussions. 3. Redirect off-topic discussions politely. 4. Leverage visual aids to stay on point. 5. Recap key points periodically

Each meeting should have a “Big Domino”! What is the Big Domino we aim to knock over in this meeting. Solve a question, reach a conclusion, reach a goal. Then plan you meeting and structure deliberately and intentionally to achieve that. If we neglect to invest in defining the goal and structure to achieve it, we can expect to have a similarly low focus outcome from our meeting. So set and answer the questions that need to be addressed to know down your Big Domino, and achieve your goal.

I've learned that if you follow these 4 things you can never go wrong 1. Time Blocking: Allocate specific time slots for each agenda item. 2. Tangent-Tackling Techniques: Redirect off-topic discussions tactfully. 3. Active Participation: Encourage engagement to minimize distractions. 4. Tech-Assisted Focus: Leverage tools for structured virtual meetings.

Fix clear responsibilities on each individual/function Make participation mandatory Make presentations mandatory, it could be just a 5 minute presentation, but each individual/function must give one When participants contribute they get involved. Before coming to the meeting,make bringing solutions mandatory

Meetings are an essential and important thing in any work. Some may consider that too many meetings are a waste of time, but this is not true. Meetings have many goals, including correcting the course of the project or presenting ideas that contribute to the success and progress of the project. In order to maintain the course of the meeting, we must first determine who will attend the meeting and determine Important stakeholders write an agenda and the important topics that are presented in the meeting are on the agenda. Determine a time for a meeting and do not leave the time period open. Determine as much time as possible for each person.

Share the agenda, prioritize the agenda, and especially set the agenda when the call begins (something I see many people miss out just because they wrote it on the invite). But let's be honest, no matter how concise the agenda is, people, naturally, would want to deviate and make their points in most meetings - so a fix is to flag the comment ASAP and tell the person it can be discussed at the end of the call if time allows. This should satisfy most spikes in the agenda.

Creating a structure for others to contribute or provide input can be a useful tool. At the beginning of the mtg you can define the format of input to keep feedback within a smaller timebox and avoid long tangents from contributors. The tools you can use are dependent on the style of meeting you are having so choose accordingly. For a daily stand up you may say everyone please answer these three questions: What did you do yesterday, what are you doing today, is there anything blocking you? For a meeting about process improvements you may use pluses and deltas. Everyone would give one thing we are doing well and one thing that could use improvement. There are a modicum of resources online for running various meetings that free to use.

Call out tangents, and keep a running list of parked topics to cover. Not all tangent topics need to take place in a meeting. Being clear about what needs to be covered in a meeting, and what can be clarified via email or project management system, makes meetings much more effective.

In my experience, using a parking lot works best when a parking lot is established as a norm at the beginning of the meeting and when it the need for the parking lot is explained relative to the meeting process and goals. For example, a point of dispute may have no bearing on the brainstorming planned for the meeting but may have bearing on prioritization which will be done as a next step in a different meeting.

To keep meetings on track and avoid tangents, employ strategic planning. Set a clear agenda with specific objectives, ensuring participants are well-prepared. Establish time limits for each agenda item, discouraging unnecessary elaboration. Encourage active participation while maintaining focus on the core topics. Designate a facilitator to steer discussions and redirect if needed. Implementing these measures cultivates a disciplined meeting culture, optimizing time and fostering productive, goal-oriented discussions.

Sometimes the gold is in the tangents. A meeting where participants are so engaged they are thinking and ideating, … excited enough in the topic to go off topic - is a win these days. There is a time and place I agree, but in many contexts the goal of a meeting is creativity, idea generation and problem solving. So you can’t be too tight and limit expression and enthusiasm, … without also killing the creativity. So remember to flex, and suit the style and structure of your meeting to your goal, … and remember … sometimes the gold is in the tangents!

If people are passionate and engaged and wish to discuss a particular topic within the mtg but it is disruptive to the purpose of the mtg, you can always book time with them to chat at a later time. Simply tell them: "That is a really fantastic point/idea! I would love to explore that with you later this afternoon. Unfortunately we have to move on right now." The caveat is, you need to define a time that works for a follow up and of course, ACTUALLY follow up. You don't need to squash passion in order to keep meetings on track. Let's be honest... the people who go on tangents are often the same people day in, day out, meeting to meeting. They may require some coaching to understand how to communicate properly in business settings.