Many ‘minor’ conflicts arise in poorly moderated or completely unmoderated meetings.

It is easy for determined and focused people to lose patience in a meeting where deadlines are not respected, the agenda (if there is one) is not followed, everyone can speak but many do so inappropriately, or others remain silent when they should speak up. This is especially true when important decisions that will have a significant impact on the work or private lives of the participants depend on the outcome of the meeting.

The ability to moderate meetings requires many of the skills of a coach: active listening, a clear mental structure and time management, direct communication, feedback and negotiation, as well as the confidence and security to “put people in their place” (sometimes even one's superiors) who risk derailing the meeting.

To convey this skill, it is sometimes sufficient to request external support that shows how a meeting should be moderated on certain occasions, adapting it to the company's style and culture, highlighting the dysfunctional behaviour of participants, providing useful tools and demonstrating them in the field to gradually improve the culture of meeting moderation.

If, on the other hand, the topic is so important that you do not want to risk the meeting being marred by personal agendas or avoidable mistakes, moderation by an external professional is highly recommended.

The advantage of external moderation is that it protects individuals from personal attacks and helps the team grow by observing and experiencing professional moderation practices first-hand.