In my last post, I shared how to get active participation in your meetings.
But participation is only half the challenge. The next step is turning that into a clear decision.
When I asked what makes meetings hard, one of you described it perfectly: “Everyone shares their perspective, but the loudest/last point is assumed to be the course of action.”
No one explicitly agrees on the decision or how to get there. So the team moves on to the next topic without knowing what was decided or what happens next. This lack of clarity can lead to duplicated work, competing priorities, missed deadlines, and more meetings to sort things out.
So, how do we avoid this?
Make every option visible
Capture the ideas as your group discusses them. When everyone can see the options, the group has something concrete to review and compare. You can spot ideas that might have been overlooked and keep the conversation moving instead of going around in circles.
Remember: capturing an idea doesn't mean the group has to choose it. It means the idea is visible and can be considered.
Agree on what matters most
Before comparing options, the group needs to agree on what’s important for this particular decision.
Is it cost, staff capacity, speed of implementation, or alignment with strategic priorities?
For example, your team might want the fastest option but still choose a slower one because you don't have the staff capacity to deliver the faster one well.
When criteria are clear, the conversation becomes more focused. You're comparing options against what matters to the group, rather than getting caught up in who makes the strongest argument.
State the decision clearly
Once the group has reached a decision, document it and say it out loud.
Give everyone a chance to confirm they understand what's been decided and what happens next.
The right decision-making approach will depend on the group and the decision. To some, it could be voting; to others, it’s reaching a consensus. Regardless of the approach, it’s important to agree on how the decision will be made instead of letting it happen by default.
Agree on who does what next
A decision without an owner and a date is just a good conversation.
Before closing the meeting, confirm the person responsible, the action they need to take, and the deadline or check-in date.
Be sure to have one owner for each action item. Not two people, not a whole department.
One owner means you know who you’ll check in with for updates. The owner may delegate the work, but will still be responsible for reporting the progress back to the group.
Now, let’s put it into practice with the Decision Map
Want to put these ideas into practice at your next meeting? I've created a free resource to help.
The Decision Map is a printable, one-page template you can print large enough to display on a flipchart. As your group discusses its options, capture each idea in one of five categories:
Proceed: Ideas ready to be implemented and are supported by the team as they are.
Refine: Strong ideas, but need a few adjustments or more detail before you can implement.
Explore: Promising ideas, but they need more information, input, or resources.
Hold: Worth keeping in view, but not a priority right now.
Sunset: Not the right fit, or no longer serving a purpose.
Each category has its own definition on the template, so your group can see what each status means as you work through the options. Use this to keep track of what's ready to move forward, what needs more work, and what can wait.
The goal here is simple: end the meeting with clarity and a shared understanding of what happens next.
But what if our decisions are more complicated than this?
Some decisions have several strong options, competing priorities, and important consequences to consider. When that's the case, another round of discussion may not be enough.
That's where a more structured approach can help. You need a way to compare options against agreed criteria and work through the trade-offs together.
That's why I've built the Evaluation Matrix session inside Facilitation On Demand. It's designed to support a live facilitation process for weighing complex options and working toward a well-considered decision.
The Decision Map is a practical place to start. For more complex choices, the Evaluation Matrix session will offer another way to structure the conversation.
I'll be sharing more about Facilitation On Demand soon, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, try the Decision Map in your next meeting.
Then reach out to share your experience or if you have any questions.
REMEMBER: Great facilitation takes practice, and every meeting is an opportunity to get better at it. You've got this!