Managing Interruptions in Meetings
Turn Surprises into Silver Linings
Is it any surprise your next precisely planned meeting will likely get hit with at least a few unexpected interruptions? Twenty minutes into your one-on-one, your manager gets an urgent phone call. Your new product presentation gets hijacked by a couple of side issues. And your recommendation to important stakeholders slowly sinks into disagreement on the project’s next steps.
Being interrupted is frustrating, and can knock you off stride, but there’s also a silver lining since it provides a stellar opportunity to clarify key points, regain control of an otherwise preoccupied multi-tasking audience, and showcase your strong leadership skills. The trick is to develop a wide range of reliable options to deal with these situations – and you’ve got to deal!
Whether communicating with a newly hired engineer, your marketing team, or giving a high-stakes executive briefing, you must skillfully shape the communication. These are three of my favorite strategies:
Get to the Point – In the military it’s called B.L.O.T. which stands for Bottom Line on Top. In the business world it’s called the Executive Summary. I call it Being Smart because as attention spans shrink, and our content becomes increasingly more complex, your time constrained listeners value immediate answers to their most pressing questions:
Why is there a problem?
What needs to be done about it?
How have you solved the problem (or how do we solve it together)?
Theresa Lina is a highly regarded business consultant and author of Be the Go-to – How to Own Your Competitive Market, Charge More, and Get Your Customers to Love You for It. Check out how she introduces, gets the audience onboard, and uses the Why/What/How message framework to lead her viewers from their current thinking to where she wants them to be. All in the first 4 ½ minutes!
VIDEO: Sponsored by Silicon Valley Product Management Association: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjEXhjP_vXM
Creating a clear, concise opening message shows respect for your fellow meeting attendees who have their own deadlines to meet, interviews to set up, presentations to create, and documents to write.
Get to the point and you’ll raise the odds of riveting people’s attention on your important issues while minimizing interruptions.
You’ll also spotlight your own skills as a leader!
Manage the Meeting – The success or failure of your meetings impacts productivity, efficiency,
participation, and commitment. If you strive for these positive results, several highly effective
approaches can get you there.
a. Before – When you suspect a colleague might persist in interrupting, go off on a tangent, or make the same point over and over, consider lining up support before the meeting.
Enlist a trusted colleague to help keep the conversation on track in case of a stealth attack. What if you get blasted with rapid fire questions? Your ally can ease the pressure by redirecting attention back to the topic at hand.
b. During — No matter how well you’ve prepared, there are bound to be times when a meeting goes sideways and you find yourself wondering what to do next. Here are four graduated responses that escalate from low-key up to direct confrontation.
Level 1 — Check — Somebody’s phone goes off once? Probably ok to let it ride. Better yet, check in at the beginning about silencing devices and other ground rules.
Level 2 — Accept — Legitimize concerns, use active listening, return a question to the person who asked or to the group:
“Let me be sure I understand your view. Are you saying that…?”
“Will each of you define the issue as you see it, which will sharpen the focus for the rest of us?”
Level 3 — Deal With — Refer to earlier agreements to shift the group back to your topic. Be direct and firm or bring in others who support your position.
“I think we’re getting somewhere. Let’s hack away at this for a while longer and then we’ll move on.”
“It seems quiet here. What does the silence mean?”
“I think we cut you off when you were about to make an argument for the new proposal. Let’s hear your proposal in full.”
Level 4 — Defer — If you find the group going in multiple directions or participants are downright rude or bullying, call a halt to the session. You might say:
“I sense we’re all coming at this from different directions. Let’s take a break and come back to it in 30 minutes.”
“We seem to have very different ideas on this. Let’s revisit this in our next meeting.”
c. After — What if someone is chronically talkative, aggressive, overly quiet, or always ready to complain? In a private conversation, tactfully point out these behaviors, their impact on the group, and offer suggestions for making a more positive contribution in the future.
Command the Room: There are many ways to boost instant credibility and command a room or online call. Credibility springs from your strong content as well as how you elevate it with a powerful delivery.
Are you meeting in person? Walk or lean toward others and sit arm’s distance from the screen online, making sure your torso fills most of the frame. No slouching!
Your voice has tremendous power to convey strength, emotions, and assurance. Pause and breathe for emphasis and try Box Breathing, used by Navy Seals before a major mission, to sharpen your mental focus.
Do you succumb to annoying habits such as “ums” and “ahs?” If so, work to get rid of them along with “uptalk,” raising your voice at the end of sentences. Use purposeful gestures and sustained eye contact to grab attention and connect at a deeper level with each person.
Finally, employ a polite raised hand gesture that unmistakably signals, “Let me finish.”
I admit that being surprised by interruptions risks derailing your meeting and can feel like a personal attack (which it may be!). If you look threatened or angry, however, you may come across as vulnerable or aggressive which can quickly turn your audience against you. Instead, stay on alert for the silver linings in these situations. Reiterate your crucial point, use proven approaches to reclaim control with skill and tact, and use your physical presence to exude confidence.
To discuss your situation managing meetings or to schedule a 90-minute online workshop for your team, contact me at clarkmayla@gmail.com or through this website.