The Right Way to Cut People Off in Meetings!

Breaking the "train of thought" is a useful tool. You can do dramatic things like Jellyfish or Penguin but also more subtle things can work too. Anything to break into and redirect the flow.

We have used a similar technique using a "Penguin". The reference is from "Our Iceberg is Melting". Finding a humorous method that can be invoked by anyone is important. It is important to get the attendees engaged and willing to share a minority opinion even if unpopular. So what ever the "word" is to get the meeting back on track, be diligent that it is used to focus the conversation NOT to cut-off an unpopular / uncomfortable point of view that may very well be key to the meeting's agenda.

I just included it in a Confluence Blog post within Curriculum Associates! I overlapped with you at Staples, but I was in IT and didn't interact much with you in Strategy. Sad to see Ron step down; end of an era.

Great suggestion. For groups who are already more familiar with each other - I guess we can be more direct with the participants.

Have you tried it ? I acknowledge something is interesting and we should table it or add it to the agenda (at the bottom).