“Tanya, before you continue with your introduction, I just want to take a moment...”

(and derail the session)

As someone who loves the performing arts, I’d never imagine going to an event and interrupting it because I had something I wanted to say. Which makes it fascinating to me when you have a carefully designed session that you’re leading, or about to lead, and someone interrupts it to take over the room, question your approach, or question whether you should be the one leading it.

They are not bringing up a concern at a useful time. They are using the session itself to question whether it should be happening at all.

As annoying as it can be, you can often see the warning signs before the session begins. Watch for people who keep questioning an approach the client has already approved, or the team has already backed. Watch for people who won’t take part in planning, then arrive ready to challenge the process in front of everyone else.

Before your session, make a plan.

1. Decide where your line is. Before the session starts, decide what you’ll redirect, what you’ll put in the parking lot, and what will mean you need to step in more directly.

2. Make sure someone has your back. If you think someone may challenge the session, talk to your client, sponsor, or internal lead beforehand, and be clear about what you’re concerned about. Agree on what they’ll do if it happens, because you shouldn’t assume they’ll step in just because they’re in the room.

3. Don’t debate the session. You don’t need to defend your approach, explain every design choice again, or convince someone to agree with your activities. If they have concerns about how the session was designed, they can raise them with the person who asked for it or signed off on it afterward, and you can bring the group back to the work.

4. Show that you’ve heard them. Write down the concern, question, or decision that needs attention where everyone can see it, and use their own words where you can. Then say what will happen next: you’ll come back to it at the end, follow up afterward, or ask the sponsor or leadership team to address it.

5. Give them a clear choice. If someone can’t take part without repeatedly interrupting or stopping the group from working, tell them what needs to change. They can stay and take part in the process, or step out and raise their concerns with leadership afterward.

This can happen during a big transformation, but it can also happen in a small session about something that seems straightforward. You can’t control whether someone tries to derail your session, but if you see the signs ahead of time, you can plan for it. You can decide how you’ll respond, make sure someone has your back, and keep the session moving for everyone else in the room.

The problem was clear when the meeting started but it’s somehow less clear by the end. If you’re tired of meetings that create more work than they resolve, join me September 29 or November 24.