In last week’s column, I described a “best of both worlds” approach to getting the most out of your project teams. It centers on meeting first with a larger group to get lots of great ideas and perspectives, then later with a smaller group to narrow the scope into a few action items.

But what if your organization is small? If this is the case, your groups may have anywhere from 5-12 people — and that’s fine. In fact, there are many advantages to small teams. Today, I want to cover a few of these and then offer a few tips on how to facilitate small group meetings.

First, here are a few benefits of smaller groups:

Smaller groups move faster. This is partly a matter of logistics. It’s easier to get 5 people together in one place than 15 people. Also, there are fewer people to weigh in, fewer viewpoints to consider, fewer arguments to be had.

They’re better at getting specialized. In today’s economy, it’s not necessary to know a little about a lot of things. We have the internet for that. Far better is to know a lot about one area. The fewer people there are, the quicker they all come to understand the task at hand. The more they understand about a subject and its challenges, the less likely they are to make costly mistakes.

People are highly engaged and motivated. The smaller the group is, the more likely individuals are to feel that their efforts are important and the more effort they will put forth. This makes smaller groups more entrepreneurial by nature.

High performers are more likely to be noticed. Individuals are more exposed in a small group. When you do a good job, your boss will see it, and you’re more likely to be recognized and rewarded for it, which is great for morale.

It’s easier to build trust and unity. The fewer people there are, the easier it is for them to get to know each other. The better they know each other, the more comfortable they are collaborating and sharing their ideas. They grow to trust each other and they bond more deeply. This unity means individuals on small teams are more likely to work late together to shore up a project they’re working on, or to go the extra mile to help a teammate. 

Team members naturally coach and mentor each other. I’m a big believer in the value of mentoring. It not only strengths a business but a community. In small teams, this kind of relationship occurs organically as people work together on the project at hand. More experienced people enjoy sharing their skills with less experienced people, and new employees appreciate the personal attention.

Be sure to choose smart, hardworking, passionate people for your small team. That’s important. But being a good facilitator may matter just as much. Your team may be overflowing with great ideas and raw energy, but without a good facilitator to bring them out, capture them, and direct them into the right channels, all that potential is lost.

 

A few tips for facilitating a great small group meeting:

 

Show up armed with great questions. The key to a productive discussion is asking the right questions so come to the meeting well prepared. (Open-ended questions are best.) We’ve all left a meeting and then realized, too late, that we forgot to address a critical issue. When we do our homework on the front end, we minimize the chances of making this mistake.

 

Create the right environment. Seating should be arranged so that people can easily see each other and make eye contact. Often a circle where everyone is at the same level and not too far apart works best. People need to be physically comfortable before they can be emotionally comfortable enough to be good collaborators.

 

Ask people to introduce themselves to the group. If everyone doesn’t already know one another, go around the room and have each person talk about their role. People are more likely to communicate and build strong relationships when there’s a good foundation from the start.

 

Dig deeper into people’s answers with follow-up questions. Avoid asking yes/no questions or those that can be answered too simply. You want to dig deeper. When someone gives what seems to be a surface-level answer, don’t let them off the hook. Ask, “Why do you think that?” or, “Let’s say we go with that solution. How do you think customers might react?”

 

Be inclusive. If you’re not careful, a few extroverts will take over the meeting. Quieter people may have great ideas but get drowned out by louder voices. You might call out introverts specifically so they’ll have a chance to contribute. (Just be sure they have the option to think about their answer and circle back to it later…introverts often dislike being put on the spot.) 

 

Keep the meeting on track. This requires that you have clear expectations around what you’re trying to accomplish and that you communicate them with the team. If someone goes off on a tangent, make sure to steer them back quickly to the subject at hand. Similarly, discourage side discussions: Everyone needs to be focused on the same talking points.

 

“Weight” discussion time in a way that matches the importance of the topic. You have limited time. Don’t let a B or C item take up time that should be devoted to A items.

 

Get to solutions as quickly as possible. It’s easy to stay focused on the problem and have everyone explain their version, but try to use the bulk of time focused on solving the problems, not just discussing them. Breakout sessions (dividing up into smaller groups tasked with coming back with answers) are a great way to move the needle on this.

 

End with a clear action plan or at least some solid next steps. Remember, smaller groups can move things along more quickly so make sure everyone is well prepared to make that happen.

 

Life and business almost always reward action. The best teams are those that avoid “analysis paralysis” and show a strong bias toward rapid (though not rash) execution. When you keep this in mind at every step of the process, you’ll be more likely to get the most value from your small groups. It’s amazing how much a well-facilitated small group can get done.