I assume you have lead a longer meeting or workshop before. Maybe you want to get better at it.
You know that taking breaks after every 60 minutes will help preserve participants energy. It is precious because people cannot really recharge during the day. Once they are exhausted, you do not get them to concentrate anymore.
The challenge is that when the break is over many participants are not in the room or notice that they have to use the bathroom.
I don´t know about you but it used to stress me.
🍏 Will I get through my agenda?
🍏 How can I make sure they are back on time an express this need in a kind way?
🍏 Are participants happy with the session?
How to reduce the number of late comers
🍏 Workshops rarely ever go as planned. The secret is to always always plan buffer time to react to change.
A broken projector, a room that was not booked, a provocative question from a participant… the reasons are endless.
For a full day (6 hr) workshop, I have about 1 - 1.5 hrs of buffer time, for a 2 hr session, I have 15-20 min of buffer time. That is time that I do not plan anything for.
In case everything goes as planned (that happens, too!), participants will appreciate you if you finish 15 min early. You earn their respect for your great planning & delivery.
🍏 When you announce a break, say
"Let us take a break. We continue at 11 o´clock.
Please be on time because I will continue at 11 for real."
🍏 At 11:01, you start no matter how many people are in the room. Yes, you have to repeat your first sentences for the late comers but it is important that people experience being late.
There will be more people on time after the second break and even more after the third break
Cultural differences
Time is perceived differently in different cultures.
I grew up in Germany where being on time is a virtue. My US American bonus mom once said to me “Being on time is polite. You show respect for the other persons time.” That touched me because I was notoriously late but I respected and liked her very much.
In other cultures being on time is a bit rude because you might stress the host.
It is more polite to be late so that the host has a bit more time to prepare.
It even differs within European countries.
If you facilitate a multi-cultural group, talk about it!
Excellent point about different perspectives of time. Even in the same country views can be different based on region.
Thank you for sharing your tips and especially the cultural understandings!