Meetings actually start before anyone walks through the door (or logs on). What you do before or rather what you share can have a real impact on what happens once everyone is together and sets the foundation for better participation, engagements and inclusion.

One of the biggest questions I get asked in facilitation training is: How do I facilitate when I’ve got skin in the game? The perceived wisdom is that facilitators should remain neutral. And there’s good reason for that. But in practice, many people need to be able to facilitate discussions in organisations and groups they’re part of.

When you’re bringing a group of people together, if you’re not clear on why you’re doing it, you might as well not bother. Whether I’m delivering training or working with organisations, a lack of clarity about the purpose or “why” behind a meeting can be one of the biggest stumbling blocks