开云体育

ctrl + shift + ? for shortcuts
© 2025 开云体育
  1. F4c-Response
  2. Topics

Immediate interventions for unprepared participants

 
Edited

Hi everyone. I'm wondering if anyone has any idea on how to deal with an unprepared participant (e.g., did not do the pre-work) in a meeting?
Here's some things I've done already (but need more ideas please!):
Before the meeting:
  • emphasize what pre-read/work is required and how much time it will typically take
  • have a norm regarding prep included in the Agenda
During the meeting:
Do a timeout and meet up with the person to:
  1. name the behaviour (e.g., I'm sensing that you have not read the material, am I reading you right?)
  2. seek to understand (e.g., what's going on?)
  3. paraphrase back what I heard
  4. restate the expectation (e.g., as discussed in your orientation, you are expected to come fully prepared to the meeting)
  5. seek solutions (e.g., what can you do right now to ensure you're ready for at least the next topic?)
  6. acknowledge their solution and act on it
Anything else you would recommend?!
 

开云体育

Hi Michael

Not sure of your context.

But we have simply decided never to send pre-work. Just accept that most people don’t do it!

And what does doing it mean anyway? How well did you read it??

When people ask you to read something, they rarely tell you to what depth or extent you should read it and for what purpose anyway. Life is short. If you are the kind of person who takes 30 minutes to read two paragraphs because you do it thoroughly, you have every reason not to read something. If you skim through stuff superficially and get enough of the gist to be able to cruise like you’re knowing it, does that count?

If we are facilitating for a client, we always insist with the client that it is better to assume no-one has done it. Maybe have five minutes at the beginning of the meeting/session for those who have read it to share the highlights of what they got from it.

Bev




Bev Wenger-Trayner
?

T: +1 (530) 205 3231
M: +351 962 298 800
bev@...
Social Learning Lab | Sesimbra, Portugal
??????
?

On 21 Sep 2022, at 18:18, Michael Goldman <goldman@...> wrote:

Hi everyone. I'm wondering if anyone has any idea on how to deal with an unprepared participant (e.g., did not do the pre-work) in a meeting?
Here's some things I've done already (but need more ideas please!):
Before the meeting:
emphasized what pre-read/work is required and how much time it will typically take
have a norm regarding prep included in the Agenda
During the meeting:
  1. do a timeout and meet up with the person to:
  2. name the behaviour (e.g., I'm sensing that you have not read the material, am I reading you right?)
  3. seek to understand (e.g., what's going on?)
Anything else you would recommend?!

  1. paraphrase back what I heard
  2. restate the expectation (e.g., as discussed in your orientation, you are expected to come fully prepared to the meeting)
  3. seek solutions (e.g., what can you do right now to ensure you're ready for at least the next topic?)
  4. acknowledge their solution and act on it
 

Hi Michael, I have faced the same issue on some training/ meetings - here is what I did which worked quite well (I lost a few persons in the process, but probably he was not really committed to participate fully)

My idea was it was easier to deal with before than during the training.

So here is my two cents :


Before the meeting:
? Have a confirmation to be sent by attendes who have done the prework 2 days before the meeting (or a questionnaire about prework to be answered ) and send back the link / password to the meeting after the confirmation / quiz is received (and make clear it’s the only way to get access)

? if nothing is received one day before the meeting- reach out to check in and give a reminder on the rule.

Good luck :-)
 

Hi Michael,

Adding to your excellent ideas, I:

  • indicate exactly how and why the prework ties to the work we'll be doing together, so they understand the importance, rather than seeing it optional
  • give them a little "homework" attached to the prework (e.g. once you read X, come prepared to share?top 3 ideas....or share the #issue you relate to from the report, etc.) - that has made a huge difference
  • let them know that we'll be starting off with a discussion about their top 3 ideas (e.g.) related to the prework, so everyone's on notice that they'll be left out of the convo if they haven't done the prework
  • explain which parts of the prework are most important to focus on for this meeting (e.g. slides 1-3, chapter 8, the financial summaries, etc.)
  • Send prework at least? 5 working days in advance, but not more than 10 days ahead of time
  • Send reminders as needed (peer pressure works great here!)
  • Establish a norm (and stick to it!) that people will have to catch up on their own time if they haven't prepared for the conversation, and can then join once they've caught up
Can't wait to hear other ideas!

Kind regards,
Nancy

Nancy Settle-Murphy
Tel: (01) 978.263.2545 ? ?
Pronouns: She/her/hers
?
Helping teams get important work done, faster and?with less friction, wherever they are

Meet me on??/?Follow?me on






On Wed, Sep 21, 2022 at 1:20 PM Michael Goldman <goldman@...> wrote:

[Edited Message Follows]

Hi everyone. I'm wondering if anyone has any idea on how to deal with an unprepared participant (e.g., did not do the pre-work) in a meeting?
Here's some things I've done already (but need more ideas please!):
Before the meeting:
  • emphasize what pre-read/work is required and how much time it will typically take
  • have a norm regarding prep included in the Agenda
During the meeting:
Do a timeout and meet up with the person to:
  1. name the behaviour (e.g., I'm sensing that you have not read the material, am I reading you right?)
  2. seek to understand (e.g., what's going on?)
  3. paraphrase back what I heard
  4. restate the expectation (e.g., as discussed in your orientation, you are expected to come fully prepared to the meeting)
  5. seek solutions (e.g., what can you do right now to ensure you're ready for at least the next topic?)
  6. acknowledge their solution and act on it
Anything else you would recommend?!

 

开云体育

Hi Michael! excellent topic, thanks for bringing it up.

Besides I like Philippe's idea of triggering the event link to questionnaire completion, I operate similarly to Bev’s suggestion: I prefer to budget time at the beginning of the event to small groups to catch up on the pre-work together, and then sharing in plenary the highlights, insights and questions.

Following this topic with curiosity,


?

Fernando Murray
Based in Nelson, BC, supporting individuals?and organizations globally.


On Sep 21, 2022, at 10:31 AM, Bev Wenger-Trayner <bev@...> wrote:

Hi Michael

Not sure of your context.

But we have simply decided never to send pre-work. Just accept that most people don’t do it!

And what does doing it mean anyway? How well did you read it??

When people ask you to read something, they rarely tell you to what depth or extent you should read it and for what purpose anyway. Life is short. If you are the kind of person who takes 30 minutes to read two paragraphs because you do it thoroughly, you have every reason not to read something. If you skim through stuff superficially and get enough of the gist to be able to cruise like you’re knowing it, does that count?

If we are facilitating for a client, we always insist with the client that it is better to assume no-one has done it. Maybe have five minutes at the beginning of the meeting/session for those who have read it to share the highlights of what they got from it.

Bev




Bev Wenger-Trayner
?

T: +1 (530) 205 3231
M: +351 962 298 800
bev@...
Social Learning Lab | Sesimbra, Portugal
??????
?

On 21 Sep 2022, at 18:18, Michael Goldman <goldman@...> wrote:

Hi everyone. I'm wondering if anyone has any idea on how to deal with an unprepared participant (e.g., did not do the pre-work) in a meeting?
Here's some things I've done already (but need more ideas please!):
Before the meeting:?
emphasized what pre-read/work is required and how much time it will typically take
have a norm regarding prep included in the Agenda
During the meeting:
  1. do a timeout and meet up with the person to:
  2. name the behaviour (e.g., I'm sensing that you have not read the material, am I reading you right?)
  3. seek to understand (e.g., what's going on?)
Anything else you would recommend?!

  1. paraphrase back what I heard
  2. restate the expectation (e.g., as discussed in your orientation, you are expected to come fully prepared to the meeting)
  3. seek solutions (e.g., what can you do right now to ensure you're ready for at least the next topic?)
  4. acknowledge their solution and act on it
 

I am sorry I don't know if this is
  1. mandatory corporate training or certificate granting instruction where you can require pre-work.
  2. corporate enrichment training where pre-work makes it more valuable.
  3. independent seminar / workshop where attendees pay (possibly reimbursed) and pre-work provides them with more value.
If it's #1 then I think you can ask them to come back when they have done the required pre-work.
If it's #2 or #3 then I think you should let it go.

If pre-work is absolutely required: then have them email you or otherwise furnish proof in advance so they can be admitted. This does not waste entire group's time.

We often suggest pre-work that will make a workshop or seminar more valuable but don't require. We don't offer any kind of certification so our situation and attendees may be different from yours.

Sean Murphy 408-252-9676


On Wed, Sep 21, 2022 at 10:18 AM Michael Goldman <goldman@...> wrote:
Hi everyone. I'm wondering if anyone has any idea on how to deal with an unprepared participant (e.g., did not do the pre-work) in a meeting?
Here's some things I've done already (but need more ideas please!):
Before the meeting:
emphasized what pre-read/work is required and how much time it will typically take
have a norm regarding prep included in the Agenda
During the meeting:
  1. do a timeout and meet up with the person to:
  2. name the behaviour (e.g., I'm sensing that you have not read the material, am I reading you right?)
  3. seek to understand (e.g., what's going on?)
Anything else you would recommend?!

  1. paraphrase back what I heard
  2. restate the expectation (e.g., as discussed in your orientation, you are expected to come fully prepared to the meeting)
  3. seek solutions (e.g., what can you do right now to ensure you're ready for at least the next topic?)
  4. acknowledge their solution and act on it
 

Absolutely. I definitely assume that at least 50% of the people don't do the pre-work and therefore do a high-level review of the most salient points before entering a discussion. In this case though, members are paid and are expected to do the 'extensive' pre-reading. This info will be used to judge if a person should either lose their professional certification, be criminally charged or receive a fine. Thanks for reminding me to provide more context!
 

Thanks so much Nancy. As usual, so many great ideas! I'm going to go through the other email responses and then send a cumulative list of 'proactive strategies'
 

Okay, so thank you all for your input! ?Based on what I heard you say and my own experience and research, here is a list of 'proactive' strategies we (or our clients) could consider for meetings where the pre-work is essential and must be done in order to effectively participate in the conversation:

?

·??????Into every job description identify and build a commitment to completing pre-work and arriving to meetings and conversations prepared to fully contribute. Describe what that looks like in action. Be as specific as possible about preparation time commitments to help members fully realize the extent of their responsibilities

·??????In the meeting agenda, identify what prep is necessary and distribution dates for any pre-work to help ensure it can be completed. Indicate exactly how and why the prework ties to the work we'll be doing together, so they understand the importance, rather than seeing it optional

·??????Have a meeting norm: 'We will all come prepared to the meeting'?and/or?'people will have to catch up on their own time if they haven't prepared for the conversation, and can then join once they've caught up'

·??????Explain which parts of the prework are most important to focus on for this meeting (e.g., slides 1-3, chapter 8, the financial summaries, etc.)

·??????Ensure prep work is succinct and user-friendly. Incorporate prep work references into the meeting agenda with links (if possible) to the related materials. This helps reinforce the connection between the meeting outcomes and topics and the preparation that supports them. Also include estimations about the time required to review the material

·??????In the case of voluminous prep work, consider if some elements can be divided and assigned to subsets of participants who can then provide an executive summary to other group members.?

·??????Give them a little "homework" attached to the pre-work (e.g. once you read X, come prepared to share?top 3 ideas....or share the #issue you relate to from the report, etc.)?

·??????Let them know in the agenda that you'll be starting off with a discussion about their top 3 ideas related to the pre-work (so everyone's on notice that they'll be left out of the convo if they haven't done the prework)

·??????Send pre-work at least?5 working days in advance, but not more than 10 days ahead of time

·??????Insert a confirmation notification which asks members to confirm they have finished the pre-work. Do this 2 days before the meeting. If no confirmation, then follow-up with the respective members

·??????Send reminders as needed (peer pressure works great here!)


Thanks again for your ideas!

?

1 - 9 of 9