Chairing Meetings - How to Deal with Challenging Participants

This video tutorial addresses the challenge of dealing with difficult participants in meetings. It emphasizes the importance of communication and provides ten strategies to manage disruptive behaviors. The tutorial also categorizes different types of difficult behaviors, such as late arrivals, early leavers, and interrupters, offering specific techniques to handle each. The goal is to equip meeting facilitators with the flexibility to manage any behavior effectively, ensuring respectful and productive meetings.

What is often the root cause of difficult participants in meetings?

• Inadequate resources

• Time constraints

• Poor communication

• Lack of interest

What is the first strategy suggested for managing difficult behaviors in meetings?

• Ignoring the behavior

• Setting ground rules

• Using humor

• Taking a break

When might it be appropriate to ignore a minor instance of poor behavior?

• When it disrupts the meeting

• When it is a one-time occurrence

• When it is disrespectful

• When it is repeated

How can humor be used in managing difficult behaviors?

• To make fun of the participant

• To distract and move the meeting forward

• To avoid addressing the behavior

• To encourage more humor

What should you do if you are unsure how to handle a difficult behavior?

• Use humor

• Call it out immediately

• Ignore it

• Take a break

What is a suggested method for dealing with a late arriver?

• Apologize for starting without them

• Start on time and let them catch up

• Wait for them to arrive

• Start the meeting late

How should you handle a participant who leaves the meeting early without notice?

• Thank them for attending

• Ignore their absence

• Continue the meeting without them

• Stop the meeting

What is a recommended approach for engaging shy participants?

• Ignore them

• Force them to speak

• Criticize their silence

• Use a round robin to invite input

How should you address a participant who constantly challenges everything?

• Ignore their challenges

• Document their point of view and involve others

• Agree with them

• Ask them to leave

What is a strategy for dealing with passive-aggressive behavior?

• Ignore it

• Agree with their negativity

• Call it out and ask for their thoughts

• Encourage more criticism