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The Most Misused Tool In Meetings

by Kevin Eikenberry

Have you ever been at a meeting where a great idea comes up, but the facilitator insists that everyone stick to the agenda? There's a useful device for handling such situations, but if it's not used correctly, the most brilliant idea will disappear into oblivion.

Lisa came to the meeting ready to participate. She had some specific ideas that she wanted to share—ideas that she thought would help the team move forward on the problem they were discussing.

The meeting got off to a good start and everyone was involved in the discussion. At what seemed like the appropriate time, Lisa shared her idea.

People didn't seem as enthused about it as she thought they might. So she talked a bit more about it, hoping they would understand. Some other people didn't think her idea was quite on track with the discussion, but some others became more interested and asked questions about her idea and the issues that would surround it if it were implemented.

Soon the facilitator suggested that Lisa's idea was a good one, but that she was going to put her idea in the "Issue Bin"—so that we could get on with the meeting agenda—and that the group could get back to her idea later.

Lisa's heart sank. She'd seen this happen before.

In the last company she worked for they called this "Issue Bin" thing a "Parking Lot". Once your idea got put in the "Parking Lot", it was gone forever. In fact, in her mind she'd quit calling it a "Parking Lot" and started calling it the "Black Hole"—a place where ideas go, never to be seen again.

The Tool

In case you've never been to a meeting where an "Issue Bin" or a "Parking Lot" is used, let me explain.

Often groups or individuals will get off-track—a new topic will come up or an idea will begin to be discussed that isn't the main focus of the meeting, or might be better discussed later on. At that point whoever is facilitating the meeting would suggest that this topic or issue be placed in the "Issue Bin".

They would then go to a chart on the wall labeled "Issue Bin" and write a brief description of the issue so that the idea won't be lost. In other words, the goal of this tool is to keep a group on track with their agenda.

Beyond that though, the "Issue Bin" is a way to help a group "hold that thought" so that the idea isn't lost—and can be discussed later when the time is right.

The Misuse

The most common misuse of this valuable tool is exactly what Lisa had experienced in her previous company. Facilitators put items into the "Issue Bin" or "Parking Lot" with no real plan to revisit them—they are using the Bin as a place to put stuff they don't really want to talk about at all.

Or, facilitators do have good intentions, but when the meeting runs long (how many meetings have you been to that didn't go long?), and time is short, the "Issue Bin" item(s) get lost in the rush to finish the meeting.

So, regardless of the intention or best-laid plans of the facilitator, the "Parking Lot" becomes a sham and a manipulation, never achieving the desired result of capturing the idea and holding it for later exploration.

Given this, it is no surprise that the Lisa and people with a similar experience bring up their item again and again because they are afraid the idea will get lost.

The Best Use

Think of an "Issue Bin" as TiVo for your meetings. If you have a TiVo connected to your TV you can easily record any television show and watch it later. This allows you to watch the show at a time more convenient for you and, much to the disappointment of advertisers, skip through the commercials easily so that the overall time spent in watching the show is reduced.

Just like TiVo, a well used "Issue Bin" allows you 'timeshift' an issue or idea to discuss it at the time most convenient or productive for the team. And just like TiVo may reduce your watching time, often when the issue is held for later, the ideas and actions discussed in the interim may reduce the amount of time or energy required to effectively discuss or explore the issue.

It isn't hard to use an Issue Bin effectively. It just requires a process and a bit of discipline:

1. Make sure that everyone knows the function of the "Issue Bin".
2. Capture items to the "Issue Bin" as appropriate.
3. Schedule time in the agenda (typically 2–3 minutes is all that is required) to review the Issues near the end of the meeting. This review should answer 3 questions:

• Is this still an issue (or has it been resolved since it was placed in the Bin?)
• Is there an action item that can be created from this issue? If so, what is it?
• Is this a topic that needs to be on a future meeting agenda?

4. Don't leave the "Issue Bin" until something is done with each issue. If nothing can be done with it at this time, consider saving the issue and having it reside on the "Issue Bin" at the start of your next meeting.

The bottom line? Do something with every one of them! Taking this simple approach to using this tool will make your meetings run more productively and make sure that all of the best ideas and issues are both raised and considered.

Just like any tool, it is wonderfully valuable when used correctly. And just like any other tool, it can be damaging and counterproductive when it isn't.

Back To Lisa

Lisa was pleased at the end of the meeting that the facilitator asked the group what they should do with Lisa's idea. The group decided it warranted more discussion—they encouraged Lisa to work on some aspects of the idea a bit and it was agreed that this would be the first agenda topic for the next meeting.

From that day forward, Lisa felt more comfortable contributing to the team—and she now knew that the "Issue Bin" or "Parking Lot" or whatever you want to call it, didn't have to be a "Black Hole"—that it could be a useful tool for any meeting.

Kevin Eikenberry is the President of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps its clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. Contact Kevin toll-free at: 888.LEARNER or e-mail to: Kevin@KevinEikenberry.com.

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