Need a Meeting Restart Button? When Squirrels Invade your Meeting

You are in a meeting and all of the sudden you have lost control. SQUIRRELS!!! Everyone is talking over each other, no one is listening to what the other has to say, and the group is getting off topic. Your stomach drops out and you start to panic. You think to yourself “If I let this go on, we will never accomplish what we set out to do”.

Whether it’s five or one hundred people, losing control of a meeting can be overwhelming. It’s hard to regain control once you’ve lost it. Not to worry, use this simple practice* to bring everyone back to center. It’s like pushing the restart button. Ready, go!  Invite the participants to do the following:

“In your seats, reach your hands out in front of you. Turn your thumbs to the ground. Cross your right hand over your left and with palms touching, lace your fingers together. Rotate your clasped hands down and in toward your chest so your laced-fingers rest gently on your sternum.

Notice the difference: a calm will come over the room and people will feel a sense of focus. If not, ask participants to repeat the practice, taking 2-3 more deep breaths. Now that you have ‘reset’ the meeting, either do a quick process check in to get back on track with the agenda, take a moment to acknowledge divergent opinions in the room or review the ground rules to create safe space before continuing the previous discussion.

*Practice from Capacitar International, Inc.