Todd Parker, MedThink SciCom, USA; Birju Patel, Johnson & Johnson, USA; Fiona Plunkett, Nucleus Global, UK
(The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of MedThink SciCom, Johnson & Johnson, or Nucleus Global.)
Email your questions and comments on this article to TheMAP@ismpp.org.
In the fast-paced field of medical communications, effective meeting facilitation is critical. Whether leading discussions to align on communication strategy, to foster collaboration, or to gather feedback on content, facilitation skills are essential for driving productive engagements regardless of meeting types (eg, scientific platform workshops, Publication Steering Committee meetings, advisory boards). The first article in this series discussed preparation and what a facilitator should focus on to ensure success ahead of a meeting. This second article provides tips and tricks on leveraging meeting format, driving active engagement, and building a repertoire of meeting facilitation techniques and skills.
Leveraging Meeting Format
One of the earliest steps is to consider how meeting format (eg, virtual, in-person, hybrid) can be best leveraged to achieve objectives.
For virtual meetings, you may want to request turning cameras on to promote engagement during working sessions or request muting/turning cameras off during presentations to reduce distractions (although this can lead to disengagement and enable multitasking). In addition, utilize built-in features within the meeting platform (eg, polling, breakout rooms, whiteboards) to encourage engagement and interaction, making sure to do so when it is appropriate to the task and not overuse them.
For in-person meetings, circulate throughout the room as you speak to connect with the audience (eye contact, tone). Also, take advantage of the space, allowing participants to physically rotate through workshop exercises and providing them with a mental break as they are moving.
Hybrid settings (including both remote and in-person attendees) can be the most challenging meeting format, as you try to ensure remote attendees can hear and meaningfully contribute. Always test the technology before the meeting and ask remote attendees during the call if they can clearly hear discussions in the room. You may want to remind in-person attendees to speak up, or you can also repeat or clarify their points as needed for remote attendees. In addition, make sure to actively call upon remote attendees just as you would for those in the room, reminding in-person attendees of their presence. Also, it can be helpful to create a separate virtual breakout group for remote attendees, as their perspectives may be missed if they are instead included in a breakout group inclusive of both live and remote attendees.
Regardless of format, ensure you share rules of engagement and clarify expectations. A simple upfront slide or pre-meeting email can quickly highlight key items, such as:
- The importance of attendees being present (you were invited because we need to hear your perspectives) and engaged (eg, limiting multitasking and distractions)
- Assignment of roles (eg, moderator, breakout lead, timekeeper, note taker)
- Approach to decision-making (eg, voting, consensus, specific decision makers)
- Capturing of topics in a “parking lot” if time isn’t available during the meeting to complete the discussion
Driving Active Engagement
Next, how will you drive active and inclusive participation? As the meeting facilitator, you set the tone and should determine what is needed. Should you be encouraging participants to provide feedback/insights? Challenging people to push beyond comfort zones? Or maybe collaborating to encourage alignment? You should also develop solutions to hear from those who may be more passive, such as pre-meeting surveys that set up discussions—developing targeted questions ahead of time to draw out less-vocal participants, and carefully consider personalities when creating breakout groups (eg, balance dominant personalities across groups or include all of them in a single breakout group?). It is also helpful to incorporate breaks between sections to facilitate informal open discussions. During the event, assess energy levels and reactions frequently, adjusting pacing or discussion tactics as needed. Overall, varying your style/prompts and facilitating balanced discussions can broaden input and inclusion and further the goal of achieving your objectives.
Building Meeting Facilitation Techniques and Skills
You also need a range of facilitation techniques in your tool belt so you can align the right approach for each task. Maintaining your own personal set of techniques allows you to guide the group, pivoting as needed to achieve success.
- Icebreakers: If you are bringing together a cross-functional group or need active discussions (eg, scientific platform workshop), icebreaker activities can get people talking. Online resources (websites, generative AI) are great for concept ideation, but you can also use websites that generate random icebreakers on the spot (https://questionsgenerator.com/ice-breaker.php).
- Brainstorming: If you want to encourage brainstorming, visual approaches like mind mapping tools, whiteboards, or sticky notes (eg, jot down concepts and group related ideas or prioritize through removal) can be effective.
- Prioritization: An easy approach is to quickly sketch out a 2-axis prioritization grid and map ideas based on key factors (eg, awareness, addressability). You can also provide attendees sticky dots for voting or, instead, ask them which ideas they would cross off the list first if their budget was slashed.
- Objection handling: If appropriate, leverage generative AI to identify probing questions you could raise during a section. Alternatively, the same approach could identify questions that may arise to ensure your own preparedness.
- Parking lot: There are times when a particular topic cannot be fully addressed in the current meeting, and it should instead be placed on hold in a “parking lot,” allowing you to retain your focus on the meeting objectives, while ensuring participants know their topic will be revisited later.
Effective meeting facilitators also need to develop skills in the areas of interpersonal awareness and responsiveness, including summarization, nonverbal communication, and time management. When concluding a section, a concise recap of the overarching discussion and decisions, including action items, can foster alignment (and also be a huge help for your eventual executive summary). You should also carefully assess body language and cues while consciously considering your own nonverbal communications. Flexibility is important as you will likely need to adapt the agenda in real time as valuable discussions occur. Before the meeting, pre-select less-critical agenda items so you can quickly reprioritize and adjust on the spot. You should also consider how you will close out the meeting and the overall impression your audience should have (often overlooked). As noted above, provide a concise wrap-up of the day and next steps. Important but often missed, also take a moment to acknowledge just how much the group accomplished and how grateful you are for their active participation (unless, of course, the meeting was a failure). Following the meeting, promptly share action items and timelines to maintain the momentum.
Seek Out Upskilling Opportunities
From a professional development perspective, meeting facilitators should constantly seek out opportunities for upskilling. The best facilitators come in with well-thought-out plans, but also know to adapt based on audience cues. They foster healthy discussion while ensuring each attendee can share their perspective, and they continue to drive toward meeting the overall objectives. Most organizations have internal training modules or access to training solutions for professional development. Seek out content on:
- Active listening to improve understanding of participant insights/feedback
- Influencing others and conflict navigation to achieve alignment
- Adaptability to respond to changing needs
- Managing group dynamics to optimize inclusion and engagement
Leading engaging meetings is not just a science but also an art. There are many ways to prepare for a meeting, including setting clear expectations upfront, strategically structuring the agenda, and arming yourself with tools to encourage an inclusive environment. However, an effective facilitator also needs to be flexible, adapting the agenda as needs shift, redirecting off-target conversations, and responding to nonverbal cues throughout the meeting. Acquiring a diverse toolkit and continuing to upskill will pay dividends today and tomorrow, wherever that may take you.
Acknowledgments: Editorial support was provided by Erin Reineck, ELS, MedThink SciCom.