This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Fierce Conversations" by Susan Scott. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Do you have trouble guiding large group discussions? How should effective work meetings be conducted?
In Fierce Conversations, Susan Scott provides a model that is intended to uncover all important details and perspectives of complex issues in large groups. This is important because organizations are multifaceted with individuals who have different perspectives on issues.
To structure your large group discussion, Scott provides the following guidelines.
Guideline #1: Invite Your Participants
Invite the people you need to talk to in your large group discussion. In your invitation, brief these people on the topic to save time during the meeting—define the issue and its importance, and explain what their role is in the meeting. You can also include any background information that they should know before the meeting.
(Shortform note: Business experts recommend a specific format for meeting invitations that keeps things succinct while providing the crucial information. In your invite, include three headings: Meeting Purpose, Goal, and Background. For example, “Meeting Purpose: to discuss the decrease in employee satisfaction. Goal: to brainstorm effective solutions. Background: the issue began in October after we cut back employee amenities.” While this format doesn’t specifically state the issue’s importance and the attendees’ role, employees can likely glean this information from the meeting purpose and goal.)
Guideline #2: Open the Meeting
First, remove all distractions—no electronics, multitasking, or note-taking. Then, verbally review your topic preparation, and pass out paper copies to attendees once you’re done.
(Shortform note: Some experts note that on top of removing physical distractions, you should also perform a “check-in” to remove mental distractions before starting the meeting (reviewing the topic preparation). During the check-in, each participant should share their current mental state so they can offload any problems or stress they came to the meeting with. This will improve self-awareness and presence, increasing attendees’ ability to focus on and process your topic preparation. This will better equip them to contribute solutions, information, and so on) later on.)
Guideline #3: Open the Floor
Invite people to ask clarifying questions. Then, request that they perform the role you requested in the invitation—providing information, feedback, advice, and so on. Ensure everyone in the meeting speaks, and directly request input from those who don’t speak up.
(Shortform note: Other experts reiterate the importance of hearing from everyone in the workplace, but they explain that calling out quieter folks can be tricky. This is because introverts may need more time to process information and are therefore unable to respond immediately. As such, calling them out in meetings might simply overwhelm them, especially if they don’t yet have a response. Instead, collect their responses in writing (possibly using the method discussed in the next step) or speak to them individually after the meeting.)
Guideline #4: Close the Meeting
Have everyone write down how they’d handle the situation if they were you and share their answer aloud. Afterward, summarize the feedback you received, and ask if you forgot anything. Thank everyone for participating.
(Shortform note: While Scott recommends ensuring you’ve heard everyone’s perspective by having employees share their feedback aloud, other experts explain that allowing employees to remain anonymous also has its benefits. This is because forcing people to share their feedback might intimidate them into conforming or censoring themselves. By receiving feedback anonymously (collecting the written feedback without requiring that people read their responses aloud) you’re more likely to receive honest, constructive, and diverse feedback.)
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Here's what you'll find in our full Fierce Conversations summary:
- Why you must have uncomfortable discussions about feelings
- How to uncover the most critical issues that must be addressed
- How to ensure you stay aligned with your life goals
