Most facilitators are familiar with this experience—you’re running a meeting, and one person keeps piping up. They have an opinion on everything, and once they take the floor, it’s tough to get them to give it up.
When this happens in person, there are a few tricks you can use to rein the monologue artist in. But now that we’re all meeting via Zoom, what can you do?
I got a chance to try this out recently, and here’s what worked. As the long-winded participant went on, I looked right into the camera, smiled, and nodded repeatedly. My eyes were wide and animated, and I opened my mouth a little bit, like I wanted to say something.
This posture of engagement drew the speaker’s eyes to me, and he paused. That gave me a moment to jump in. “Great! Thank you so much for that insight,” I said. “Let’s hear from some other people on the call as well.” Then I asked another person, by name, to speak.
Most people are not looking into the camera, and the speaker is searching for connection. Making yourself the person who is most visible gives you a chance to get their attention and to kindly bring their speaking time to a close.
