You might find it difficult to lead a meeting, especially if everyone in the room has an opinion. Some of your colleagues might be more subtle in their approach, while others are not. It’s even more difficult if someone questions you while you preside over the meeting. Before you end up with a terrible reaction, you need to think things through.
Don’t take it personally
If someone questions you, it’s not about you. It’s about the subject of the discussion. Even if it seems like the question gets directed to you, it shouldn’t make you feel bad. You can even view it more positively. You have to be proud that your employees aren’t afraid to speak up, and they bring up issues during the meeting. Remember that just because people aren’t speaking doesn’t mean they’re okay with how you conduct things at work. You would rather have them be more upfront in dealing with you.
Focus on the issue
If questions get raised, respond to the questions. Focus on the issue, and forget all the other factors you have in mind. Don’t judge what the other person’s intent is. It doesn’t matter. There’s an issue, and you have to deal with it.
Control your emotions
You might also feel frustrated with the way you get questioned during the meeting. Instead of reacting negatively, you have to control your emotions. Deal with how you feel once the meeting is over. You can also have a private conversation with the other person if you felt attacked. Having a fight or humiliating the other party while the meeting is going on will only delay everything.
Clarify your stance
It’s also possible that you receive questions because you were unclear about what you want to say. Clarify your stance, and avoid being vague. If you use words that the people in the room don’t understand or have a different interpretation of, tell them what you mean. By clarifying things, the conversation can move forward.
Improve yourself
Even if you felt that you didn’t do anything wrong, you should still evaluate yourself. It’s possible that you did or said something wrong, and someone else pointed it out. Accept your mistakes, and learn from them. Try to improve yourself and keep doing the right thing. If issues arose because of your poor public speaking skills, you have to improve them. Practise at home and in front of the people you trust. Listen to their criticism, and avoid doing the things that could weaken your position as a leader. Don’t forget to buy a new projector ceiling mount for your meeting room to make it easier to make presentations. It’s also a worthy investment since it will last for a long time. Anyone in the office can use it if there’s a meeting.
Presiding over a meeting is never easy, and it’s a learning process. Take note of the things that happen, and ensure that the bad things don’t happen again.