After 2 hours of meeting, going around the room and asking if anyone has any final thoughts or questions is typically a good idea.

• They may have thought a new idea.
• They may not have wanted to disrupt the agenda.
• They may have been thinking of something completely off topic (but, still relevant.)
• They may have realized something, train of thought – stream of consciousness, and it is too good to pass on discussing.

Be sincere if you ask. That is essential.

If you are just trying to be nice, or do what people think should happen, but you won’t listen to what they say…then skip it. They will appreciate the reality of the situation – even if they don’t agree with it.

Even if you are sincere, and even though it is a overall good idea…if the meeting has lasted FAR LONGER than it should have/was scheduled to last – even with breaks – even with lunch – even with lots of time to dialogue, you may have to pass on this protocol.

• Let’s not be too boring.
• Let’s not take up too much time.
• Let’s not overstay our welcome.
• Let’s not try to solve everything in one shot.

At that point, going around the room and asking all contributors if they have anything else, might just take too long. Perhaps, you want to ask a more general, “any more final questions or ideas?” That is more than acceptable…and saves everyone from trying to decide if they should “just ask something” to ask something and to get attention. Or, even worse, ask the question that should be asked one-on-one, but they decided to take a risk and ask the group at large. There are times when enough is just enough.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl