But
proposing a question and receiving meaningful answers are two very
different things, which brings up an age-old question with a modern
twist: How do you ask for ideas or feedback during a virtual meeting in a
way that returns valuable answers (and not just from the usual
extroverts)?
Based
on my experience leading meetings, working with meeting leaders, and
exploring ways to improve virtual meeting effectiveness, below are eight
tactics to get responses from even the most mute-happy meeting members.
1. Share Your Questions Ahead of Time
If
you’re asking people for insight, it’s only fair to give them as much
time as possible to think about the problem at hand. Once you’ve
established who’s attending the meeting, email them up to five of the
questions you will be asking. Place those questions in the meeting
agenda and the calendar listing so everyone knows what’s coming and can
prepare.
2. Establish Rules that Encourage Participation
It’s
easy for an idea-elicitation session to veer off course when people
start confusing developing ideas with debating them — and many will be
reluctant to raise their virtual hand if they think their idea may get
shot down. So be clear about the purpose of the session with a statement
like, “The purpose of this meeting is only to collect ideas and build
upon them if we can. In the next meeting, we’ll have an opportunity to
assess them and pick our favorites.”
To
help maintain speaking time balance, communicate parameters like “We
only have an hour, so please keep your contributions brief to give
everyone ample time to speak.” Also, keep things moving by recommending
that long-running conversations be “continued offline.”
Finally,
ask people to turn on their cameras if they feel comfortable doing so.
Camera usage in a virtual meeting should be a rare opt-out, not an
opt-in, because being seen increases the likelihood of participation.
(It’s not a lot to ask because no one in an in-person meeting gets to
sit under the table).
3. Ask Simple Questions in Chat
Too often, meeting participants see and treat the virtual meeting chat window like a live microphone at a 4th-grade
talent show — there to record any cheer, random thought, joke, personal
story, or idea that strikes anyone at any point. But used strategically
and with the understanding that many people are more comfortable typing
than talking, chat can successfully elicit ideas that might be
challenging to extract otherwise.
Practical
and easy chat tactics include simple polling (“Type 1 for Choice #1 and
2 for Choice #2”), simple prompts (“Chat one word that best describes
the product”), or simple feedback (“Share one thing you learned from
last week’s event”).
The key here is simple:
asking for one short and specific contribution, versus a general ask
like “What did you think?”, “What questions do you have?” and “Tell us
about yourself.” Again, you may get answers to broad questions from the
traditional speak-up crowd, but assuming everyone in the meeting is
qualified, you want answers from as many different people as possible.
Once you receive these brief chat contributions, the next step is to…
4. Follow Up on Those Questions
You’ve
now broken the ice. Because the original request was easy, many people
feel comfortable contributing ideas and — with your help — can now
elaborate on those ideas. For example:
“Steve, can you unmute and tell us why you chose #2?”
“Kelly, you described the product as innovative. Can you unmute and share why?”
“George, that’s great how your team became more efficient. Can you unmute and share some examples?”
Even
for those least likely to raise their hands in a meeting, following up
audibly on a contribution they typed into chat is easier than responding
out loud from the start.
An
effective way to invite further discussion on an existing topic is to
ask for agreement, such as “Type A in chat if you agree with Kelly or
want to suggest another word that describes the product.”
The
key here: Call people by name and repeat their contribution. This
practice demonstrates that you value the team and their ideas, which may
increase their comfort in participating.
5. Be Clear About What You’re Asking For
When
I want to motivate responses without applying direct pressure, I’ll
often say, “I’m just looking for three ideas.” That relieves some
anxiety because I’ve made it clear I don’t need everyone to talk, but it
also raises the stakes because we’re not proceeding until I get my
three ideas.
What
I’ve found is that people are more inclined to volunteer when my
expectation is clear. If I ask for any ideas, I’ll often get none. If I
ask for three ideas, I’ll typically get three. The last contribution
frequently comes quickest because it feels like completing a task, not
merely being part of an exercise with no clear end.
6. Don’t Shame Attendees
One sure-fire way to increase
peoples’ hesitance to contribute is to shame them. No one shames their
team on purpose of course, but some meeting leaders create that impact
unintentionally when they complain about the lack of response: “Nobody
has any questions? Really, nobody? Come on, this is important. I can’t believe there are no questions.”
As
a direct result, your team may feel uncomfortable and guilty. You’re
also likely to hear relatively meaningless contributions from people who
just want to end that awkwardness.
Another form of shaming happens at the end of the meeting when the meeting leader calls on (really, picks
on) people who haven’t yet contributed. Remember that, during a
meeting, staying silent is a legitimate entitlement and may reflect a
valid work communication style or severe discomfort. Your goal is to
make the opportunity comfortable, not compulsory.
7. Count Away the Silence
When
no one speaks up to answer your question, it’s time to transition to a
new question or revise the old one to make responses easier, but how
long do you wait? J. Elise Keith, founder and CEO of Lucid Meetings,
recommends a five-second rule:
silently counting five seconds for an answer to a question before
moving on. The idea is that four seconds will likely cut someone off,
and six seconds puts you deep into excruciating silence territory.
I prefer seven seconds (and so do others),
but season to taste. Whether scientific or magic, the rule gives the
meeting leader a tool to support inclusion, prevent awkwardness, and —
for sure — eliminate guesswork.
At
my organization, the tactic has become so well-known that leaders
sometimes say wryly, “Well, that’s seven seconds, so I guess it’s time
to move on.”
8. It’s a Conversation, Not an Interview
You
may have a list of questions to ask but contextualize each one to avoid
coming across like a census-taker. Instead of saying, “My first
question is… my second question is… my third question is…” say something
like, “The next question relates to what Jim said earlier…” or “The
next question gets at an issue we’ve been discussing since last month’s
Town Hall…”
The
key is making yourself a participant in the conversation, not just the
conversation’s note-taker. If people see you care enough to pay close
attention and be involved, they will be more comfortable sharing
insights with you.
***
Getting
most people to respond to questions during any meeting can be a
challenge, but virtual meetings give you more tools to overcome that
obstacle. And if all else fails, you’re only five-to-seven seconds away
from the next opportunity.
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