How Faculty Handle Disruptive Colleagues--And How We Can Borrow the Lesson

I'm catching up on some of my Chronicle of Higher Ed reading today, and I came across a gem of a blog post that gives faculty advice about how to handle disruptive colleagues during meetings.

I was hoping that at the very least it would shed a bit of light on faculty culture, something I am always trying to wrap my brain around. And it didn't disappoint! More than that, though, it showed me that faculty meetings have the same set of challenges that any meeting might have:

+The know-it-all
+The bully
+The talker
+The we-already-tried-it-and-it-didn't-work person
+and many more

The post is an open-ended question, asking readers for feedback. My favorite comments come from reader bethelcollege, who suggests that the know-it-all be assigned the role of recorder, because, "the minutes will likely not only be adequate, but hilarious, as he or she expands on actions and debate."

Running and participating in meetings is fraught with politics and feelings and time-management issues. Our training services office offers a great class on effective meetings (and this online primer). But read this Chronicle blog for a great starter on ideas to improve your meetings culture.