Naw, that doesn’t happen, does it?  Oh yeah.  It does.  That’s one (among many) reasons you have a facilitator in the room to ensure the group stays focused and on track.  One of the best ways to gracefully intervene to keep the dogs and horses at bay is to use the humble flipchart.

A simple, yet elegant tool, it allows you to capture the comment the first time it comes up, and then you can refer to it along the way.

A few years ago, a fellow IAF colleague of mine, Ned Ruete, came up with a list of the top ten things to do with a flipchart:

• Write it down and hang it on the wall.
• Work on one issue at a time.  Let the group choose and work the issue.
  Write it down and hang it on the wall.
• Agree on how to work on that issue.  Tap the group wisdom for how to work before offering your own process.  Write it down and hang it on the wall.
• When someone offers an idea, write it down and hang it on the wall.
  If they offer it repeatedly, point to where it is, written down and hanging on the wall.
• If someone attacks a person for a “dumb” idea, ask them where the idea is written down and hanging on a wall.  Move to it.  Move the discussion to the idea, away fro the person who offered it.  If additions, qualifications, clarifications, or pros and cons are offered, write it down and hang it on the wall.
• When the group is discussing, voting on, or coming to consensus around a solution, write it down and hang it on the wall.
• When the group moves away from the agreed-to issue, go to where you wrote it down and hung it on the wall, call their attention to it, and give them the choice to change the issue, go back to the one they agreed to, show how this one affects the one they agreed to, or put a time limit on the digression.  Whatever they decide, write it down and hang it on the wall.
• When the group moves away from the agreed-to process, go to where you wrote it down and hung it on the wall, call their attention to it, and give them the choice to change the process, go back to the one they agreed to, show how this one affects the one they agreed to, or put a time limit on the digression.  Whatever they decide, write it down and hang it on the wall.
• When someone says, “We ought to _____,” find out who will.  Then write it down and hang it on the wall.
• Before breaking up, find out when the group will get back together.  Write it down and hang it on the wall.

While typical for many meeting venues, and perhaps most comfortable for you, the presenter, meeting planner, or hotelier, it is NOT the best seating arrangement for an audience-centered presentation.

So what’s wrong with straight rows?

1.  Focus.  The seats directly in front of the speaker are the only decent seats in the house.  Everyone else has to adjust the view to get a direct line of sight to the presenter.  And yet we give up this prime real estate to a multimedia projector table or vacant space for a center aisle.  Whenever possible, place the chairs in front of you, the speaker:

2.  Energy Drain.  Any feng-shui expert will tell you that the energy flows out of the room through a center aisle.  Wherever possible, keep the straight row center section right in front of you, with an aisle in between each outer seating section.

4.  Safety.  You may want to have some ability for people to get in and out of their seats, so you can modify the seating with some extra aisles starting a third of the way from the stage.  This way, the energy won’t flow out of the room!

5.  Blocked View.  Unless you are sitting in the front row, there will always be somebody taller or wider in the seat in front of you.  If you are lucky, you will have a semi-obstructed view of the presenter.  Worst case, you have to lean one way or the other just to get a clear view. Wherever possible, stagger the chairs so they aren’t lined up like soldiers behind each other.

6.  Pain.  Unless you are sitting right in front of the presenter, chances are you must turn your neck slightly to see the presenter.  If you are on the far reaches, then you are probably putting more weight on one butt cheek than the other and are constantly readjusting your seat!  Do this for an extended period of time, and it starts to hurt!  Wherever possible, angle the chairs toward the presenter.

7.  Disconnect. If you want to connect with the audience, the best way is to enable the audience to connect with each other.  They simply can’t connect with each other if they can’t see each other. Straight rows allow each person in the row to see only one person on either side (and the back of somebody’s head – but that doesn’t help connection!)  Wherever possible, curve the seating around the presenter, so the audience can see each other.

Finally, if you can, ask for the overhead screen to be placed on the left, looking at the front of the room (otherwise known as upstage right!).  Since we read from left to right, make it easier for the audience to “read” what you are saying by placing the screen to the left of the stage (downstage right in theater terms).  Place the screen at the same depth as you will be standing and close enough to your center position so that your audience’s eyes won’t have to travel a great distance from you to the screen.  Furthermore, should you have to point to something on the screen, you can use your right hand without turning your back to the participants!

Depending on the venue’s capability, you can transform a ho-hum, boring traditional theater-style room set into an audience-centered seating arrangement.  Being able to view the presentation in comfort, as well as to see each other enhances the dynamics of the presentation.  In the best of all possible worlds, orient the seats toward the front so they can comfortably connect with the presenter and with each other.

I intend to schedule a webinar in March, June, September, and August of this year.  As far as topics go, I could talk for days about teamwork, but we’re only looking at a 45 minute webinar!

So here are some titles/topics I was thinking about, and would like to have your opinion as to what top four webinars you would not only be interested in attending, but would actually sign up!  2012 will be complementary, as I’ll be getting the kinks out of the system.  I’ve done a few, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself an amazing webinar presenter – yet.

TeamSpeak: Words to Use or Lose to Inspire Better Teamwork

Boring to Bravo: 10 Tips to Make Your Presentations Extraordinary!

Beyond Consensus: 3 Little Known Secrets to Achieving Solid Agreements Among Your Team Mates

A Team Leader’s Toolkit for Handing Difficult People

The Do’s & Don’ts of Teamwork & Collaboration: 5 Critical Skills to Take Your Team to the Next Level

Are you a Light Bulb or a Flame Thrower?  How to Manage the Inevitable Conflicts in Teams

Team Player or Spectator?  3 Critical Insights to Building a High Performance Team

Go Beyond the Ordinary: 5 Critical Decisions Every Team Leader Must Make

Any other topics/titles you have in mind?

Thanks for voting now on your top topics and helping me crowdsource the best titles/topics for 2012!  You have until Sunday, January 15th to let me know.  Thanks a bazillion!

From www.CartoonStock.com

My client was complaining about his teammate’s hidden agenda.  Curious, I asked him to tell me about it – which he did, and in some detail.

I had to laugh.  This isn’t a case of the “hidden agenda.”  This agenda was well-known and in the open.  Instead, it was a case of a “misaligned” agenda.  My client’s agenda and his teammate’s agenda didn’t match up.  To make matters more complex, there are actually four levels of potential misalignment:  1) Between team members; 2) Between a team member and the team’s stated objective; 3) Between a team member and the organization’s stated objectives; and 4) Between the team’s objectives and the organization’s stated objectives.

Most people are pretty transparent. When you take the time to notice their behaviors and what they are saying, that hidden agenda becomes not so hidden.

You also need to take the time to verify that your perceptions are true.  As human beings, we have a great time making stuff up, reading between the lines and dreaming up all kinds of plots and daring-do that are simply by-products of an over-active imagination.  In my experience, people are much more straightforward about their desires.

There is; however, a small, miniscule percentage of the population who is much more machiavellian.  These folks have an ulterior motive – and you don’t know what it is. But you do know they have an agenda – and it is hidden from you.

Regardless of the type of agenda, it is best to get the agendas out in the open, on the table, and constructively discuss them as a group.  The goal is to bring all the agendas (individual, team, organizational) in alignment.  You may even surprise yourself and shift your own personal agenda!

I was recently reminded of the power of the Mastermind with Randy Gage’s Prosperity TV posting.  He spent a few days at the Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne, FL with a handful of peers to work “on” vs. “in” the business.  He talks about a “kitchen cabinet” – a circle of influence of those people you know and trust to bounce ideas off and give each other feedback.  In his video blog posting, he states three conditions for success for a more formal mastermind:

1)  Sacred.  People agree to the times you meet.

2) Confidentiality. Whatever is said in the group, stays in the group.

3) Size.  4-5 or 8 or max of 11, depending on how much “flavor” you want to have in the group!

I am not only a member of a Mastermind group (actually, we call ourselves the “MagicMind” because our group is where magic happens!), but I also facilitate executive mastermind sessions.   There are a few key ingredients you need to have to make sure the magic comes together:

1) Have the right chemistry.  The success of any mastermind group depends on the combined character of the group.  They can be from the same profession – although having people from various professions or industries gives the group more “outside” than “insider” thinking.  If from various professions, the people may be similarly structured,  facing similar business issues, share spheres of influence, have a common clientele and/or have similar ambitions.  Carefully select whom you invite.  They don’t even have to know each other initially, however the dynamics will need to shift into a trusting relationship.  BTW, They should NOT be competitors – it makes the dynamic go wonky!

2)  Agree on the objective.  A mastermind group inherently shares information, best practices and serves as business advisors and sounding boards in a non-competitive environment.  That’s pretty standard.  Then there are mastermind groups that hold each other accountable.  Entirely new objective – and I’ve seen some masterminds who embrace the notion of accountability and others who reject it.  It’s simply a choice.

3)  Make it intimate.  No, I am not talking about romantic.  Intimate.  So you can focus on the people, tailor the topics, and go deep into the solutions.  Randy’s group went to the Ritz-Carlton; you can have a mastermind in your living room.  It’s a conversation, not a presentation, so you want to limit the number of people you invite.  I agree with Randy on this.  Depending on your group, you may have only 4 or 5 – or as many as 12 or 13.  Anytime you go over a baker’s dozen, you’ll break into smaller groups to have more meaningful discussions – and the more time-consuming each session will be!

4)  Appoint a Facilitator.  Whether you identify one person from the group or you bring in an outside facilitator, somebody needs to set the agenda and keep them focused and on track.  Otherwise, it just turns into a bitch session – and we don’t want that!

How do you tap in to the potential synergy of a group?   Each member commits to maximizing each other’s success…through the power of the Mastermind!

Check out this video to see the “people’s microphone” in action – and the audience is loving being part of the conversation!

Here’s another video where the audience responses are edited out of the video to show the streamlined presentation.  Pretty cool and I bet it is more difficult to keep the flow going when you have to stop at each sentence!

What do you do to include the audience in your message?

• I need to get my team/direct reports on board.  They are crucial to our success.
• This is a really important meeting that is highly visible throughout the company, to my boss , and to my employees.
• I have waaaayyy too much to do and not enough time.
• I have my folks flying in from all parts of the country/world and we have a finite time to make some agreements about our path forward.
• I recognize the need to have an unbiased, objective person lead our meeting.  This way, I can participate fully without having to worry about process issues (has everyone had a chance to weigh in?, are all the issues out on the table?, what is the strength of the commitments at the end of the day?) and my people won’t feel manipulated.  I can feel confident that people aren’t doing the “dashboard dog” where they are just nodding their heads in agreement with me.  We have a real discussion/debate and come to the best solutions possible.
• Although I hate to admit it, I am at a loss about how to get where I need to go.

A simple entry

As we went around the dinner table sharing our thanks for the year, it reminded me just how important it is to be thankful each and every day – not just on Thanksgiving.  Of course, I’ll be able to celebrate the US version of Thanksgiving in another month (pass the gravy, please!); however, I’ve started to make it a practice to start each day writing three things to be grateful for in my Gratitude Journal.

This past summer, Steve Foran gave a short presentation at the CAPS Halifax chapter meeting where he talked about the importance of giving thanks.  Yes, it is a message we have heard before: Have an Attitude of Gratitude.  Yet Steve did something different.  He handed each of us a small 3″x5″ leather, hardcover journal.  He challenged each of us to write three things we are grateful for.

I have been doing this since August, and I notice the day starts much more positive and energized.

What can you do to bring an attitude of gratitude to your team?

Here’s a common illustration of the difference:  A group of people walk into an elevator.  They all have different goals and agendas for being on the elevator.  The group becomes a team when the elevator breaks down.  Now they all have the same goal: Get out of the elevator!

Here’s another more recent example.  My grandkids are visiting PEI from Toronto and we went to the local farm to pick some green beans.  Each person had a brown paper bag and a designated row to pick green beans.  It’s a singular activity – bending over, picking the beans, shoving them into your own paper bag.  Grueling work if you had to do it all day.  Good news: We only picked beans for about ten minutes.

Our group became a team when shifted our work: One person held the bag, two people were picking the beans (the grandkids!) and another (that would be me) was taking the pictures. At the end of our ten minutes, we had ONE paper bag that we all contributed to.  Not four bags that each of us could hold near and dear and proclaim it as “mine”!  Just one that we all own.

Why is this important, you may ask?  I see too many managers expect groups to act like teams, and to reward performance as an individual in a group.  (Show me your bag.)  The reality is that there is nothing wrong with being part of a group OR a team – just don’t confuse the two!

Are you part of a group or part of a team?

I was talking with Janelle Barlow, and extremely smart woman, President of TMI-US and incoming president of the Global Speakers Federation.

She was facilitating a day long program on customer service at a business hotel about how to “WOW” the customers. Why? Because a magnificent new conference center just opened across the street from them.

One part of the group was tasked with creating WOW meeting room logistics – setting up the room arranged the breaks, etc. It was magnificent, and that couldn’t have been replicated on-line. They had birds in cages signing to us in the morning. We had Siamese fighting fish in fish bowls on the tables. The food was unbelievable. Lots of dry ice. Waiters in costume. Visually extremely impressive. We even had muffins with our names on them. It was a constant WOW and that is what this particular client is attempting to do. We had to demonstrate to the team that they could compete with the folks across the street. That happened. The team that arranged the logistics had to show everyone else in the hotel that they could do this.

Are you creating an experience that WOWs your “customer” – the receiver of the products/services your team provides?