In Meetings, Silence Means “No”

We’ve all been in the meeting where everyone seems to reach consensus on what to do next, only to find later that some didn’t agree at all.

Reading Patrick Lencioni’s “The Advantage” the other day, I came across a simple tip: Change the meaning of silence in your meeting to “no.”

Here’s how it works:

When closing an action item in the meeting, the leader should ask, “Does everyone agree?” If there is silence from anyone, assume they don’t. Only once everyone has verbally affirmed they’re on board should the leader move to the next action item.

We’ve been doing this in the meetings we facilitate and it works wonders to make certain everyone is on the same page.

Next time you’re in a meeting and it seems like everyone agrees, make a quick pass around the room and ask for an affirmative “yes” instead. You’ll be surprised at how often perceived agreement was anything but.

Image Credit: Tom Fishburne, Marketoonist.com

Originally published at www.thefilament.com.