How We Meet & Why We Meet Matters: Organise Business Meetings in Your Favour

I enjoy stakeholder engagement, but facilitating conversations across diverse groups, especially in contentious environments, requires more than good intentions. It requires structure, strategy and awareness of how people behave in different settings.

After reading The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker, one idea stood out: How we meet and why we meet matters.

The Problem with Most Meetings

When time and budgets are tight, meetings are often organised quickly, with little thought given to environment or structure. But the setup of a meeting can either:

• enable collaboration

• or reinforce tension and imbalance

I’ve seen this firsthand.

In one instance, I attended a meeting with a strategic partner on a highly contentious project. Twelve of their representatives sat opposite us across a long boardroom table.

The message was clear: they held the numbers and intended to dominate.

Only a few participants added value. The rest created noise, slowed progress and reduced openness in the room.

Why It Matters

If you’re seeking alignment, buy-in or honest dialogue, the meeting environment needs to support it. The wrong setup can:

• create defensiveness

• discourage contribution

• and stall progress before the conversation even begins

What Works in Practice

From experience, a few principles consistently improve outcomes:

1. Design the space deliberately

Where possible, avoid adversarial layouts.

Circular or concave seating allows participants to see each other equally and helps create a more balanced dynamic.

2. Choose neutral ground for difficult conversations

When tensions are high, neutral venues such as virtual offices or community spaces can reduce perceived power imbalances.

3. Match the space to the group

Large rooms with small groups can feel impersonal and create distance.

Adjust the space to make it more focused and conducive to discussion.

4. Be intentional about who is in the room

Not everyone who wants to attend needs to be there.

Too many participants, particularly observers, can dilute focus or shift the tone of the discussion. Be clear on:

• who must attend

• who should attend

• and who can be briefed separately

5. Manage observers carefully

Observers can unintentionally derail meetings. Where necessary:

• brief key individuals beforehand

• set expectations about their role

• or follow up with them separately

6. Bring the right expertise

Ensure subject matter expertise is available, either in the room or accessible.

Nothing undermines trust faster than asking stakeholders to repeat concerns or receiving incomplete answers.

7. Prepare beyond logistics

Effective meetings are not just about agendas, they require:

• stakeholder awareness

• risk anticipation

• and clarity of purpose

Final Thought

Meetings are not neutral. They shape behaviour, influence outcomes and can either accelerate or stall progress.

When designed deliberately, they become a tool for alignment.

When left to chance, they often reinforce the very challenges you’re trying to resolve.