Things You'll Need:
- Meeting Agenda
- Marker Board, Filp Chart, or another place to record meeting activities where everyone can see them.
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Step 1
Avoid rabbit trails in you meeting from the start with a written agenda. Have timeframes on it and get everyone’s agreement to that agenda at the beginning of the meeting. Once everyone has agreed to a set agenda, you proceed with the meeting following that agenda. Getting agreement on topics by the group keeps them focus on what they agreed to.
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Step 2
If the meeting is more than 30 minutes, rabbit trails may still occur but you can recover from them faster by referring to your agenda again. Referring to the agenda is the best technique for stopping short rabbit trails that detour your group following the agreed upon meeting agenda When someone tries to bring up a new topic, you can use the technique of pointing to the agenda and politely reminding everyone they had agreed to follow the agenda. Often the group will agree the new topic does not relate to an agenda and then you all agree to return to your original agenda item. However, if the new topic does relate, then you will need to ask the group if they want to spend more time in discussing the relationship or if they prefer to make a note of the topic in order to continue the particular discussion at another time. The group will then make a decision which may be used to revise the current agenda, assign an action item, or plan the new topic as part of a future meeting agenda.
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Step 3
Another good technique you can use to maintain focus of the meeting group is to use visible records on flip charts or marker boards. This is very effective during a long discussion item in meetings because it is sometimes harder to recognize possible rabbit trails. When you have a large visible written record of what the group has accomplished so far in their discussion, it can help keep the group focused and can be used to bring interest back if the group seems to be going another direction. When you see what appears to be a rabbit trail occurring, you can point to the visible record and ask how the new concept relates to the topic you are on. Give the person who brought up the concept a minute to either explain how it relates or agree that it does not relate to the current topic. After the new topic idea is recorded or rejected, you can point to the current record, let the group know how much time they have left on this topic, and then continue your discussion process. If the new topic idea does relate, then make a note of the individual’s comments in the record, ask the group if they want to spend more time in discussing the relationship, or if they feel that noting it in the record is enough for now. The group will then make a decision which can be used to continue discussion in the direction needed to accomplish the current meeting objectives.
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Step 4
If an important detour item comes up, but needs to be recorded for future reference you should make a note of it on a Parking Lot or Issues Board. Using this technique lets the person know that their issue or topic is important enough for the group to consider, even though it will not be part of the discussion in this meeting. Using this method helps where people agree their detouring topic does not relate to current topic or agenda. Always ask the group if they want the new item placed on issues or parking lot for discussion at another meeting. At the end of the meeting, you need to refer back to the items on the parking lot or issues to see if actions need to be assigned or if any items need to be placed on the next meeting agenda.
