Pharmaceutical marketing meetings are unique events. They’re designed to develop advocates, yet sometimes fall short of even developing rapport. The best meetings establish rapport with the participants from the start. After years of leading and facilitating various types of medical and pharmaceutical meetings I’ve found a number of techniques that help build that rapport quickly so that we can get on with the ultimate goal of developing advocates. Following is my short list of techniques that will help build rapport quickly and develop your advocates more effectively.
The surest way to have the same old meeting is to start it the same old way. Don’t start so formally. Everyone expects a certain tone and format to the opening of a meeting, so why do that if you want to build a strong rapport with your group. Starting with a short story before you introduce the speakers or run through the agenda will get everyone in a listening and comfortable state. The last thing you want are everyone’s eyes glossing over as soon as you’ve introduced your first speaker.
Listen more and talk less. I see it all too often—too many facilitators talk too much, giving the impression that the meeting is really about them and their knowledge on the subject. I love taking the pressure off myself by announcing that, while I’ve done my homework, I’m not the subject-matter-expert. The participants are always the main focus. The facilitator is there to help them achieve the meeting’s objective.
Look to connect with the participants on a personal as well as professional level. This helps to reduce their anxiety and gives you touch-points you may use to get them involved in the discussion. Finding out that a participant has a family member struggling with the disease state under discussion lets you know that they have more than just a professional interest in the subject.
Don’t be afraid to shake up the agenda. We’re always so worried about getting off track, but some of the best meetings I’ve attended have been when the facilitator allowed a certain amount of wiggle room in the agenda. As long as we keep the ultimate goal in focus and arrive there by the end of the meeting, we’re safe exploring a few rabbit trails. Remember the illustration of the rocket being off course 90 per cent of the time? Constant minor course corrections bring it to it’s target.
Don’t do stand-up. I’m not talking about jokes here but rather presentation posture. If it’s a small group, can all the presentations be conducted from a seated position? Do we really need the PowerPoint? Can you lead the meeting from your seat as well? As soon as someone stands up, we all go into a passive mode. If I want to engage my audience, passivity is not a helpful state.
Be honest about everything happening in the meeting. Changes in the environment, timing, and content need to be addressed. Everyone knows what’s happening anyway. The surest way to squash rapport and your credibility is to try to hide something. Being professional requires being honest.
Be flexible with each audience. If you’re conducting a series of ad boards across the country, don’t treat them all the same. Each group is different. Your agenda and goals may be the same, but your approach to getting there may need adjustment based on who’s in the room. Each group has its own dynamic; exploiting that feature will produce better results.
Ask questions and don’t monopolize the meeting. This one should be a no-brainer, but I’m surprised by how many facilitators eat up too much of the participants valuable time. The surest way to keep from doing this is to ask questions. Starting the meeting with simple close-ended (binary: yes or no) questions and then employing more complex open-ended (reflective) questions will give the meeting a more conversational feel. The result will be a greater willingness on the participants’ part to—well, participate.
Employing these simple techniques will move the ball farther down the field, establishing better rapport and building a better advocate relationship. Treating people the way you want to be treated is always a great way to approach a meeting. We all want to be heard and be treated professionally. Open and honest dialogue will not only improve our communications but will, in the long run, build better relationships with our advocates.
With this short list I certainly haven’t exhausted the techniques we might employ to build better rapport with our advocates. What are yours?
