It’s easy to get totally absorbed in a meeting,* but it really helps if you can reserve a piece of your attention for watching what’s going on as well as participating:
- What’s the temperature of the team as a whole?
- Who’s engaged? Who isn’t? Why?
- Who might have something to say that they’re holding back?
- How does each person feel? Why?
- How are you feeling and acting? Why?
The whys are important: if you can understand why someone’s upset / angry / disengaged / excited you might be able to do something that helps now, or to talk about it with them later, or build on their excitement next time.
What do they want? What do they need? What could you give?
*It helps if it’s something that involves you, is important, interesting and fun, and that you have the power to change.