Paul Mengert Knows How To Steer Meetings Successfully

Paul Mengert has sat through many meetings in his time as President of Association Management Group. They are a fact of life not only for him, but for many people in a vast number of careers. Whether you're a volunteer who is meeting at your child's school or whether you're part of a department meeting at work—being able to effectively participate and manage meetings is a skill that is bound to come in handy.

It is common for just one or two people to dominate meetings. This is neither helpful nor productive. That is a conversation with spectators—if you are looking to hold a meeting, then it should consist of more than two people. These individuals will often dominate the discussion, go off topic, routinely interrupt others, or use the opportunity to make constant jokes. This causes meetings that are not only longer than they should be, but also less productive. Regardless of whether you are leading the meeting or are just one of the participants, there is good reason to learn how to steer a meeting successfully. This should help increase engagement with everyone present, which means coming to more widely appreciated solutions.

Paul Mengert has learned a few methods of steering meetings successfully, including tabling certain discussions for later if they get too heated, discussing certain issues privately at a later date if need be, and trying to stay on the “agenda” for the day. Calling on specific individuals within the meeting has also been beneficial to Paul Mengert, as he is then able to get the opinions of those who might otherwise not have spoken up.