The Segue segment at the start of our Level 10 Meeting™ consistently runs over its five-minute allotment because our leaders start telling long, detailed personal stories instead of giving quick headlines. How do we keep this transition human but incredibly fast so it does not eat into our valuable problem-solving time?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The Segue is designed to transition your minds from working in the business to working on the business. It is a vital five minutes of human connection, but it must not hijack the meeting. If your Segue is taking ten or fifteen minutes, you are stealing precious time from your weekly IDS® session.

To fix this, the facilitator must set the standard and lead by example. Start the meeting exactly on time, even if people are still chatting. Go first or call on a leader who is known for being direct and concise.

Define clear rules for what constitutes a good Segue headline. It should be one personal piece of good news and one professional piece of good news. Limit each person to thirty seconds. If someone starts telling a detailed story about their weekend or a client interaction, the facilitator must gently but firmly interrupt. Say, 'Love that, but let's keep it to the headline so we can protect our IDS® time.'

You can also use a visual timer. Having a physical or digital clock ticking down the five minutes for the Segue creates positive social pressure to keep updates brief.

Remember, the Level 10 Meeting™ is a highly structured, ninety-minute operational tool. It is not a social hour. You can build team connection during quarterly sessions or team dinners, but the weekly pulse must remain disciplined and focused on traction.