How can you remain impartial during meetings?

1 Identify potential triggers

Before the meeting, think about the topics, issues, or people that might trigger your personal reactions or judgments. For example, you might have strong feelings about a certain policy, a previous conflict, or a controversial idea. Acknowledge these triggers and prepare yourself mentally and emotionally to handle them. You can also use a self-checklist or a peer feedback mechanism to monitor your own behavior and attitude during the meeting.

2 Use neutral language and questions

The words and questions you use as a facilitator can have a significant impact on how the participants perceive your impartiality. Avoid using language that implies agreement, disagreement, approval, disapproval, or preference for any option or person. For example, instead of saying "That's a great idea!" or "I don't think that will work", you can say "Thank you for sharing your idea" or "What are the pros and cons of that option?" Use open-ended, probing, and clarifying questions that encourage dialogue, exploration, and understanding, rather than leading, suggestive, or rhetorical questions that imply a desired answer or outcome.

3 Balance participation and perspectives

One of your main tasks as a facilitator is to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute and be heard during the meeting. To do this, you need to balance the participation and perspectives of different groups, individuals, and stakeholders. You can use various techniques to achieve this, such as setting ground rules, using a timer, rotating roles, creating breakout groups, using polls or surveys, or inviting external experts or observers. You should also be aware of and address any power dynamics, conflicts, or biases that might affect the participation and perspectives of the participants.

4 Manage your emotions and body language

Your emotions and body language can also reveal your level of impartiality as a facilitator. If you feel frustrated, angry, bored, or excited during the meeting, you might unconsciously express these feelings through your tone, facial expressions, gestures, or posture. These signals can influence the mood, energy, and trust of the participants, as well as your own ability to facilitate effectively. To manage your emotions and body language, you can use techniques such as breathing, pausing, reframing, or taking a break. You can also use positive and neutral body language, such as smiling, nodding, eye contact, or open posture, to show your interest, respect, and support for the participants.

5 Focus on the process and the goals

Finally, one of the best ways to remain impartial as a facilitator is to focus on the process and the goals of the meeting, rather than on the content or the outcomes. Your role is to guide the participants through a clear and structured process that helps them achieve their objectives, not to provide your own opinions, solutions, or recommendations. You can use tools such as agendas, templates, checklists, or frameworks to plan and facilitate the process. You can also use techniques such as summarizing, paraphrasing, or synthesizing to reflect and reinforce the goals and the progress of the meeting.