Many meetings are not over when they're over. Stand in the parking lot after a meeting and listen to the conversations continuing the meeting. These post-meeting conversations are often more honest and open then those around the meeting room table. Leading a meeting well means bringing the parking lot conversations into the scheduled agenda. Otherwise, the meeting you lead will lack critical information and the energy required for problem-solving.

Parking lot conversations fall into three categories:

1. Input someone didn't have time to express.
2. Comments too uncomfortable to reveal.
3. Evaluation of process, progress, and leadership.

To move the parking lot conversations indoors, take the last 5 percent of the meeting time to have everyone answer this question: What thoughts and feelings are likely to be discussed in the parking lot, after the meeting? Encourage each person to respond verbally. The answers, if accepted without defensiveness, will provide information the group needs to learn collectively.

Taking this time at the end of a meeting is akin to a cool-down period after a physical workout. It allows for meeting closure and transition. A through meeting cool-down considers the following items:

1. Confirmation of decisions and assignments
2. Review and note future agenda items
3. Future meeting logistics (date, time, place)
4. Confirmation of the right participants
5. Reactions to the meeting. What can we do together to make future meetings more productive?

It's a good idea to warm up at the start of the next meeting by asking What was discussed in the parking lot after the last meeting?