Pardon the Interuption

There are some that believe interrupting is rude and disrespectful. In most cases I agree with that group. Being an interrupter myself I have seen firsthand how it can turn people off to talking with you. However, I would make a case that interruption is not only acceptable but necessary when running a meeting, to keep the meeting on track.

We have all been in meetings where you looked around the room with pleading eyes hoping that someone will stop the person (the pontificator I like to call them) in the meeting that believes you are all there to hear the fountain of wisdom they have to put forth on whatever topic comes to their mind. Never mind the actual topic/agenda of the meeting you are in.

As the attendee of many meetings that play out much like the above description, I try to keep that thought in mind during my own meetings. As a result I submit a few easy guidelines to interrupting the pontificator and getting back to the business at hand.

1. Be Polite – Ask politely to interrupt (even if you have to shout politely to get their attention) Most pontificators love to answer questions related to their topic of choice.
2. Acknowledge that what they are talking about has value
3. Then ask them if this is an item that is relevant to the topic at hand, or if their issue needed to be resolved before the topic of the meeting could be addressed.
4. When they answer give them some options (this gives them a proper environment to expound on a topic while reeling the meeting back to where it is supposed to be)
a. Put the topic in a parking lot
b. Give the Pontificator an action item to come up with a plan for their topic to be discussed at the next meeting (if applicable of course)
c. Make it an agenda item for the next meeting.
5. Bring the meeting back to the agenda wherever you left off.

If you are consistent with this behavior even the most prolific pontificator will soon learn that your meetings are not going to be a stage for them to express their opinions on whatever topic is top of mind. Honing these skills will ultimately lead to a meeting that stays to topic, and is a more effective use of everyone’s time. Not to mention that you will be receive heaps of gratitude from the people that you invite to your meetings.