Speaker 1: I'm so nervous what am I gonna do I have my first big meeting there's so many important people there I'm extremely nervous what am I gonna do I have to impress them this is gonna make a big impact on my career what am I gonna do oh my goodness first and foremost take a deep breath I promise you you're gonna be great I remember my first big meeting with some really important people and how nervous I was we've all been through it in this video I'm gonna give you some amazing techniques so you can be a facilitating star hi my name is Adriana Gertler and I am president of Cornerstone Dynamics and a productivity expert and in this video I'm going to give you some tried-and-true techniques that I use all the time so that you can be a facilitating star. Have a meeting script. Like all great movies they have a really great script and it's the same thing with meetings. Your script is actually your agenda. So like all scripts there's a story behind it and your agenda should have the same thing. There should be flow And that flow would consist of the beginning. So what are your logistics? How are you going to set the tone for the meeting? You're then going to have your body of your script, which is actually your agenda items. And last but not least, you're going to finish up your story, which is really the ending part of your meeting, which is all of the action items and the next steps that need to be done. After that, finit, you're done. And it really makes a huge difference on how well meetings are run. Now send out that agenda in advance. Like a good movie and a script, They don't do it ad lib, they get in advance, they study. Same thing with the agenda. In my website below with the links, actually you can download a free agenda template. Awesome way to keep yourself on track. Set the stage. Setting the stage with meetings is actually giving the objective. What is the outcome that you wanna have happen? Why are people supposed to be there? By giving the objective, people can become prepared to the meetings, and it makes a huge difference in the facilitation outcome. So set the stage. Lights, camera, action. But before you can call action, you actually need meeting rules, or as I like to call them, session rules. This is really important because it gives the guidance needed as to what the behavior is expected from everybody at the meeting. It allows them to follow the script, which is your agenda. Also ensures that the objectives are also carried through. And what's really cool at the end of this video, I have something special for you, a freebie in regards to this particular important tip. Get into your role. Just like an actor gets into their role for the movie, it's really important as a facilitator you do the same thing, and that role is one of confidence. I have a great video for you that you can check out on how to be more confident. But this has a huge impact. I remember one of my first meetings that I conducted in my business, I was actually asked to conduct a meeting on a topic that I had no expertise in. I really was nervous, but it was the confidence that brought me through allowed for great execution and was really the reason why they wanted me to facilitate in the first place. So you really need to get in the role. You're the facilitator. Be confident and direct everyone accordingly. Take one or two or three. a movie, it's multiple takes before you get the right scene that you want. And in meetings, it's actually the exact same thing. You've got to give people time to really think and resonate. And sometimes the first thing that you do may not be the actual end result that you want. So in a brainstorming session, for example, I usually allow people time to resonate. I give them a first kick at the candidate, think it through, have a minute or two. Then my take two is when I get the group together and they think about it. My take three is when we then do it collectively is a full room. It makes a huge difference. So remember, people need time and it's okay to have multiple takes. Plan it out. Don't improv. Now, I love creativity and I love improv and whenever I have the ability to just have fun and be in the moment, absolutely love it. But when it comes to meetings, you really need to be organized. You need to have your script and you need to stick to it. Time is precious and you really need to prepare. So if you have your script, your agenda, and you think it's gonna take longer than an hour, don't book an hour meeting. Be prepared accordingly. So think it through, don't improvise, and plan it out. It makes a huge difference and your participants will be so thankful. That's a wrap. Now what I mean by that is it's almost a wrap for the video but it really is that's a wrap for a meeting. You want to get people to commit to the outcome and not just walk out of the meeting without anyone owning anything. So at the end of the meeting make sure you spend the last five to ten minutes reviewing all of your action items, ensuring that roles responsibilities are actually given out, and due dates more importantly. Because like a good movie they just don't end it at the cliffhanger, they actually end it at the end when there's a feel-good story. And the feel-good story in meetings is when you walk out of there knowing that everyone knows what they're supposed to do. That's what a great facilitator does. Now it's time for the freebie. Thank you so much for staying to the end of the video and I'm really excited for you because a tried-and-true technique and as I said earlier on in the video are these session rules really make a huge difference and on my website on the download below click on it and you can get yourself a free poster. I highly recommend you take this put it up in every single meeting start your meeting off with it it will put you in the right frame of mind. Let me know what you think of these tips. I am really excited for you to see how your first facilitation went. So please share with me your stories. On that note, I'd like for you, if you don't mind, to subscribe to my channel below. Please give it a thumbs up, share it with your family and friends and colleagues, and more importantly, you may want to share this at a meeting on how to do meetings. A little bit of a hint there. Anyway, talk to you later, have a great day and see you at the next meeting.