How To Effectively Lead Working Groups

By Natasha Leitao
[Getting it Done]
There’s no need to be overwhelmed by your audience.  Natasha Leitao teaches you how to successfully take charge of your group.
Regardless of the number of times you’ve had to perform in front of an audience, the experience can be daunting.  Especially with working groups, such as focus groups or instructional environments, the task becomes multifaceted, as there is much that the facilitator must be cognizant of to enable him or her to get the work done.  Below are suggestions for improving your technique and guiding you towards skilled management of your group.

First Impressions Count

More times than not, you will be required to deliver some type of presentation to your group, even if it’s just a brief introduction and a statement of the working group’s purpose.  I cannot stress enough how memorable this brief moment can be.  Known in social psychology as the primacy effect, this phenomenon hypothesizes that individuals are more likely to attend to initial information received about a person.  Once an impression is formed from this, it provides a structure for which later information is interpreted.  

In making that great first impression with your group, be positive, upbeat and excited about the task at hand and the group you’re working with.  Humour is a useful strategy, but be cautious with the message you convey.  Also, dress the part.  You may be teaching a class where the dress code amongst students is sweatpants, but a first meeting demands dressy casual.  All of this will go a long way towards having the group form a positive image of you.  

Present with Panache

Remember, you’re the skilled facilitator/moderator/instructor and you need to convey that in your presentation.  Speak confidently and clearly while arousing enthusiasm and interest in your group – after all, they want a return on their investment.  Be concise and avoid rambling or including extraneous information that is irrelevant.  Ensure that your group is clearly aware of what their role is in the meeting, committee or class.  

Although you may be an expert in your field, there is still an expectation that you may not know everything.  And that is perfectly fine.  When presented with a question that you can’t readily respond to, don’t fake it.  Acknowledge that you appreciate the question, but you aren’t sure of the answer and will try to find it.  Then keep your word.  You’ll receive more credibility by being honest about your limitations rather than transparently lying your way through it.

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