How to Run Effective Meetings – For Every Personality Type

If you’ve ever wondered how to run effective meetings when everyone in the room seems to work differently, this episode is for you.

Some people get energy from a meeting the moment it starts. Ideas come out as they talk, and the room moves with them.

Others need quiet beforehand just to get their thinking straight, and being put on the spot leaves them scrambling to catch up.

In the last episode of The Leaders Kitbag, I talked about internal versus external processing (thinking), and why quiet people in meetings are often contributing more than it looks like on the surface.

This episode builds on that. Because once you understand the difference, you can actually use it, not just to manage yourself better, but to run effective meetings that work for everyone in the room.

External processors think out loud.

Internal processors think first, then speak.

Neither is better, but each one struggles in a different type of meeting, and I share a story from early in my consultancy career about working alongside someone who processes information in the opposite way to me, and what that taught me about running effective meetings that give people the room they need to think.

In this episode, you will learn how to run effective meetings, including:

• The difference between internal and external processors, and why neither approach is better
• Why meetings sprung on people with no agenda or pre-read undermine meeting effectiveness for internal processors
• What internal processors can do to give themselves thinking time before a meeting starts
• Why external processors are genuinely useful for generating ideas, and what they’re doing for everyone else while they talk
• A practical way to think about who needs the pre-read and who needs the room, so you can run more effective meetings whatever the mix of personalities

Ben’s Key Takeaway

At its heart, this episode is about how to run effective meetings when the people in the room process information differently.

We tend to run meetings as if everyone thinks the same way, but they don’t.

External processors think by talking, and having them in the room early is genuinely useful, they generate energy and momentum, and while they’re talking, they’re buying thinking time for everyone else too.

Internal processors need the opposite. They think first, then speak, and a meeting with no agenda and no warning puts them on the back foot before it’s even started. Giving them the outcome, the agenda, and anything to read in advance means they walk in having already done some of the thinking, and it makes a real difference to meeting effectiveness.

If you’re running a meeting, think about who needs the pre-read and who needs the room.

And if you’re in one, stop trying to think and speak like the person next to you. Play to how you actually process information, not how everyone else seems to.

That’s really what learning how to run effective meetings comes down to.

 

Want to learn more about how to be a leader?

Learning how to run effective meetings is exactly the kind of practical skill we work on inside my ‘Leader in Me’ programme. The dates for the 2027 cohort are now open, starting in January. There are just 22 places, and the last two cohorts sold out within four weeks.

If you’re ready to:

• Build confidence and capability as a leader
• Break free from firefighting and become more proactive
• Learn how to inspire your team and deliver results…

Find out more and secure your place on the programme here.

 

 

Podcast Transcript

How to Run Effective Meetings – For Every Personality Type

Last episode, I talked about internal versus external processing, and why quiet people in meetings are often adding more than it appears at first glance.

Today I want to build on that. Because once you know this filter exists, you can actually use it. Not just for yourself, but for how you run meetings.

If you haven’t seen the last episode, take a look; you’ll find a link to it wherever you’re watching or listening to this.

Here’s a quick reminder, though.

External processors think out loud. Internal processors think first, then speak.

Neither is better. But each one struggles in a different type of meeting.

If you’re an internal processor, the meetings you find most challenging are usually the ones sprung on you with no warning.

No agenda. No pre-read. No sense of what you’re actually there to decide.

You need time to process before you speak, so try to give yourself that time in advance.

Ask for the outcome of the meeting. Ask for an agenda. Read anything you can beforehand.

That way, you’ve already done some of the thinking before you walk in.

External processors struggle in a different way.

Give them a pre-read and thinking time alone, and they can find that difficult.

They lean naturally towards thinking out loud and talking things through in real time.

So if you’re generating ideas, having external processors in the room is genuinely useful.

They’ll usually go first. And that’s not a bad thing.

Because while they’re talking, they’re doing something for the internal processors in the room too…buying them time.

I saw this play out for years, early in my consultancy career.

The managing director, now a close friend, is a strong external processor.

I’m a strong internal processor.

We’d go into new client meetings together, and the client would explain what they wanted to achieve.

Richard would respond almost immediately. Listing ideas, options, ways we could help.

Which was genuinely useful. The client got energy and momentum straight away.

And while he was talking, I was processing. Working out my follow-up questions and considering the pro’s and con’s of the options he was talking about

So here’s the takeaway.

If you’re running a meeting, think about who needs the pre-read and who needs the room.

And if you’re in one, stop trying to think and speak like the person next to you. Play to how you actually think and process new information, not how other people do.

That’s it for this episode.

As always, look after yourself, and look after those you have the privilege and responsibility to lead. 

Until next time… lead on.