If you have sat in more than two meetings, you’ve had the experience of someone or something that distracts the meeting off onto other areas.

Might be the game of golf, might be the failing company. Who knows.

If you want to bring it back to the agenda, there is a very simple and effective formula.

I Notice …, which Means …, Can we ….

First say, “I notice…”

Describe what you see. No evaluation, no demands, no anger. At it’s simplest it’s “I notice that we’ve moved off the agenda.”

Then say, “I’m concerned…”

State what this observation means to you, the team, the meeting, the general state of the environment. Again, the simple observation is “I’m concerned we won’t cover everything on the agenda.”

Finally, “Can we…”

State what you want to happen next. Most likely what happens next is to have that talk after the meeting. It might be to table that idea for another meeting. If you don’t know what the next step is, you can even ask the group what can be done.

Using this method will save time, effort and frustration. Not to mention ensure the meetings stay on time and on track.

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