Our five-minute segue regularly stretches to fifteen minutes because team members share deeply personal updates or major life events that trigger long rounds of social banter and emotional support. How do we respect our people and build healthy relationships without letting the segue eat our entire meeting agenda?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The segue is a critical transition tool designed to get your team out of their daily operational tasks and focused on the meeting. It builds healthy team dynamics by allowing members to share one personal and one professional win. However, it is not a therapy session, and it is not a social hour. Allowing this section to expand beyond five minutes sets a precedent of undisciplined time management for the rest of the meeting.

To fix this, the facilitator must strictly enforce the five-minute limit. Set a physical or digital timer as soon as the meeting starts. When a team member shares an update that triggers a long discussion, the facilitator must intervene. Acknowledge the news quickly, offer congratulations or support, and then move immediately to the next person.

If an update requires deeper personal support or celebratory discussion, tell the team to take it offline or discuss it over lunch. Remind your team that the best way to respect each other's time is to run a highly disciplined meeting that ends on time. By keeping the segue tight and focused, you protect the remaining eighty-five minutes of your Level 10 Meeting™ and maintain the operational momentum required to solve hard business issues.