Download Meeting Facilitation Consulting Best Practices




Flevy is the largest knowledge base of Meeting Facilitation best practices. Download 14 documents from former McKinsey and Big 4 consultants, used by Fortune 100 companies. Scroll down for Meeting Facilitation case studies, FAQs, and additional resources.

What Is Meeting Facilitation?

Meeting Facilitation is the art of guiding discussions to ensure productive outcomes, clear communication, and active participation. It's not just about keeping time—it's about reading the room, steering dynamics, and driving decisions that stick.

Learn More about Meeting Facilitation

Did you know?
The average daily rate of a McKinsey consultant is $6,625 (not including expenses). The average price of a Flevy document is $65.

DRILL DOWN BY SECONDARY TOPIC


  Open all 14 documents in separate browser tabs.
  Add all 14 documents to your shopping cart.


Trusted by over 10,000+ Client Organizations
Since 2012, we have provided best practices to over 10,000 businesses and organizations of all sizes, from startups and small businesses to the Fortune 100, in over 130 countries.
AT&T GE Cisco Intel IBM Coke Dell Toyota HP Nike Samsung Microsoft Astrazeneca JP Morgan KPMG Walgreens Walmart 3M Kaiser Oracle SAP Google E&Y Volvo Bosch Merck Fedex Shell Amgen Eli Lilly Roche AIG Abbott Amazon PwC T-Mobile Broadcom Bayer Pearson Titleist ConEd Pfizer NTT Data Schwab




Read Customer Testimonials

 
"Flevy.com has proven to be an invaluable resource library to our Independent Management Consultancy, supporting and enabling us to better serve our enterprise clients.

The value derived from our [FlevyPro] subscription in terms of the business it has helped to gain far exceeds the investment made, making a subscription a no-brainer for any growing consultancy – or in-house strategy team."

– Dean Carlton, Chief Transformation Officer, Global Village Transformations Pty Ltd.
 
"Last Sunday morning, I was diligently working on an important presentation for a client and found myself in need of additional content and suitable templates for various types of graphics. Flevy.com proved to be a treasure trove for both content and design at a reasonable price, considering the time I "

– M. E., Chief Commercial Officer, International Logistics Service Provider
 
"If you are looking for great resources to save time with your business presentations, Flevy is truly a value-added resource. Flevy has done all the work for you and we will continue to utilize Flevy as a source to extract up-to-date information and data for our virtual and onsite presentations!"

– Debbi Saffo, President at The NiKhar Group
 
"FlevyPro provides business frameworks from many of the global giants in management consulting that allow you to provide best in class solutions for your clients."

– David Harris, Managing Director at Futures Strategy
 
"As a consulting firm, we had been creating subject matter training materials for our people and found the excellent materials on Flevy, which saved us 100's of hours of re-creating what already exists on the Flevy materials we purchased."

– Michael Evans, Managing Director at Newport LLC
 
"Flevy is our 'go to' resource for management material, at an affordable cost. The Flevy library is comprehensive and the content deep, and typically provides a great foundation for us to further develop and tailor our own service offer."

– Chris McCann, Founder at Resilient.World
 
"As a young consulting firm, requests for input from clients vary and it's sometimes impossible to provide expert solutions across a broad spectrum of requirements. That was before I discovered Flevy.com.

Through subscription to this invaluable site of a plethora of topics that are key and crucial to consulting, I "

– Nishi Singh, Strategist and MD at NSP Consultants
 
"I have used FlevyPro for several business applications. It is a great complement to working with expensive consultants. The quality and effectiveness of the tools are of the highest standards."

– Moritz Bernhoerster, Global Sourcing Director at Fortune 500



Meeting Facilitation Best Practices & Insights

As Jim Rohn, a renowned American entrepreneur and motivational speaker, aptly put it, "Either you run the day or the day runs you." There’s no room for ambiguity or indecision when facilitating a meeting. The ultimate goal of Meeting Facilitation is to achieve Operational Excellence by ensuring productive discussions that drive collaborative decision-making and effective outcomes.

For effective implementation, take a look at these Meeting Facilitation best practices:

Explore related management topics: Operational Excellence

Unmistakable Role of a Meeting Facilitator

A meeting facilitator plays an instrumental role in shaping the trajectory of a meeting. They serve as the impartial party responsible for governing the proceedings of a meeting, ensuring that objectives are met, consensus is reached, and decisions are made. Serving as the 'traffic controller', the facilitator manages participation, drives the agenda, mediates conflicts, and ensures constructive dialogue.

Best Practices for Effective Meeting Facilitation

The key to effective Meeting Facilitation lies in mastering a range of proven practices and techniques. Here are five top practices that have consistently delivered results for leaders:

  • Define clear objectives: Start by defining tangible objectives. Ask, "What needs to be accomplished by the end of this meeting?" This gives the meeting a clear direction and purpose.
  • Prepare an agenda: An agenda provides structure and flow to the meeting. The facilitator should share the agenda and solicit input from participants ahead of time.
  • Foster open conversation: Encourage dialogue and interaction, and create a safe platform for sharing diverse perspectives. Remember, the heart of Meeting Facilitation lies in stimulating collaboration and productive discussions.
  • Ensure active participation: Every participant should have a role in the meeting. It's the facilitator's responsibility to manage participation and ensure everyone's voice is heard.
  • Manage time effectively: Meetings should start and end punctually. Stick to the agenda and respect participants' time. Structure time for breaks and discussion accordingly.

Explore related management topics: Purpose

Key Principles of Top-notch Meeting Facilitation

At the heart of stellar Meeting Facilitation are a few key principles that can set the tone for a constructive and productive meeting:

  1. Transparency: The facilitator should create a transparent environment where everyone is comfortable voicing their thoughts and ideas.
  2. Accountability: The facilitator needs to assign action items at the end of the meeting—ensure every decision has an owner, a deadline, and a clear, measurable outcome.
  3. Neutrality: It's imperative for the facilitator to maintain an unbiased stance—no matter the nature of the subject matter.
  4. Resolution: A meeting's success is measured by the actions taken after the meeting. The facilitator should ensure all agreements and tasks are followed up on.

Increasing Efficiency of Meetings with Digital Solutions

With the rise of Digital Transformation, numerous remote collaboration and virtual meeting tools have emerged that can propel the effectiveness of your meetings. Pairing your Meeting Facilitation skills with the right technology can amplify your impact, whether in terms of tracking decisions, sharing resources, or encouraging collaboration. Make these tools your allies in improving the overall meeting experience.

Explore related management topics: Digital Transformation

Transforming Meeting Facilitation into a Cultural Norm

Efficient Meeting Facilitation should be entrenched in the organizational culture—it's not just the responsibility of a few selected leaders. Organizations should invest in training their employees in meeting facilitation skills, thereby driving enhanced team productivity and Performance Management.

In essence, masterful Meeting Facilitation has the potential to completely transform a standard meeting into a dynamic, engaging, and action-oriented session. As leaders, it's imperative that we perceive meeting facilitation not just as a skill, but as a powerful driver of organizational success.

Explore related management topics: Performance Management Organizational Culture

Meeting Facilitation FAQs

Here are our top-ranked questions that relate to Meeting Facilitation.

How to create meeting minutes in Excel?
Creating meeting minutes in Excel involves setting up a structured template, using table features, formulas, and conditional formatting for efficient documentation and action tracking. [Read full explanation]
What are the best practices for managing cross-cultural and diverse teams in meetings?
Effective management of cross-cultural and diverse teams involves understanding cultural differences, implementing effective communication strategies, and practicing inclusive leadership to enhance team performance and innovation. [Read full explanation]
How can executives ensure that meeting outcomes align with and directly contribute to the company's strategic objectives?
Executives can ensure meeting outcomes align with strategic objectives by focusing on Strategic Planning, Performance Management, and fostering a Culture of accountability, strategic focus, and technology utilization for alignment and adaptability. [Read full explanation]
How can technology be leveraged to enhance the inclusivity and effectiveness of meeting facilitation for remote teams?
Leverage Technology for Inclusive Remote Meetings by adopting Communication Platforms, integrating Collaborative Tools, and ensuring Equitable Access to boost Engagement and Productivity. [Read full explanation]

Recommended Documents

Related Case Studies

Streamlined Meeting Management for Luxury Brand in Europe

Scenario: A European luxury fashion house is struggling with inefficient and unproductive meetings, which have become more frequent and are perceived as a drain on employee time and company resources.

Read Full Case Study

Executive Meeting Efficacy Enhancement in Life Sciences

Scenario: The organization operates within the life sciences sector and has been grappling with suboptimal outcomes from its senior leadership meetings.

Read Full Case Study

Meeting Management Enhancement in Aerospace

Scenario: The organization is a major player in the aerospace industry, which is grappling with inefficiencies in its Meeting Management processes.

Read Full Case Study

Efficient Meeting Management for Life Sciences Firm in Biotechnology

Scenario: A globally operating biotechnology company is struggling with inefficient meeting management across its various departments, leading to prolonged decision-making processes and suboptimal cross-functional collaboration.

Read Full Case Study

Optimizing Meeting Management in the Animal Production Industry for Strategic Success

Scenario: A mid-size animal production company implemented a strategic Meeting Management framework to address its operational inefficiencies.

Read Full Case Study

Efficient Meeting Facilitation for Education Sector

Scenario: A higher education institution is struggling to manage and facilitate the increasing number of cross-departmental meetings required to operate effectively.

Read Full Case Study

Explore all Flevy Management Case Studies




Flevy is the world's largest knowledge base of best practices.


Leverage the Experience of Experts.

Find documents of the same caliber as those used by top-tier consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, Accenture.

Download Immediately and Use.

Our PowerPoint presentations, Excel workbooks, and Word documents are completely customizable, including rebrandable.

Save Time, Effort, and Money.

Save yourself and your employees countless hours. Use that time to work on more value-added and fulfilling activities.



Download our FREE Organization, Change, & Culture, Templates

Download our free compilation of 50+ slides and templates on Organizational Design, Change Management, and Corporate Culture. Methodologies include ADKAR, Burke-Litwin Change Model, McKinsey 7-S, Competing Values Framework, etc.