Flip the Room

A few weeks back, having set up the room for a workshop, I ducked out to make an early morning phone call before the participants arrived.

By the time I’d come back, a handful of the participants had arrived at the room, sooner than I’d anticipated. (I really don’t like missing the chance to greet people on arrival - no more sneaking in early calls from now on!)

I was struck by how quickly they’d found themselves a place to sit, and had already pulled their laptops out, ready to go. 

One of the participants wandered up to me and, after introducing herself, asked me where the screen would be. When I told her there would be no slides today, she frowned a little - as if to say well if there are no slides, what am I here for?  

It’s a familiar script...

Someone calls the meeting. 

Someone holds the space.

Everyone else sits, watches, listens. 

But the best leaders? They flip the room.

What Does It Mean to Flip the Room?

To flip the room is to break the passive, hierarchical default and creating a space where real engagement happens.

Because when people are sitting back, waiting to be led, their true genius will never emerge.

Flipping the room isn’t about taking control. It’s about giving it back.

How do you Flip the Room?

Here are 3 things to think about: 

1. Don’t Command Attention—Create Shared Tension

If you step in and immediately start talking, you’re reinforcing the ‘audience’ dynamic. Instead, start with something that invites them to connect to a meaningful purpose:

• A question: “What’s the biggest challenge on your mind today?”
• A conversation: “How are we feeling about X?”
• A puzzle: "If there was something missing from our strategy, what would it be?”

2. Pass the microphone

How do you decide who speaks? Rank, charisma and forthrightness are dangerous reasons. In thriving teams, leaders build teams that generate the best ideas. So break the pattern:

• Instead of answering a question, throw it back: “What do you think?”
• Instead of presenting a plan, ask them to build one: “How could we tackle this?”
• Instead of being the one to pass the microphone, invite others to invite people to speak: “Who else do you want to hear from?”
• Perhaps try the 'rule of 3 passes' - something I shared in this LinkedIn post. 

3. Create shared expectations early

If people think they’re supposed to be in ‘receive mode’, they’ll act like it. Flip the expectation from the start:

• Remove all the hallmarks of ‘audience’ - get rid of slides and tables. Think like a facilitator, not a presenter.
• “This isn’t a presentation from me—it’s a session to co-create X.”
• “By the end of this, what does each of us need to advance this project with our teams?”  

Flipping the Room = Flipping your Mindset

To flip the room, you need to check your own expectations of yourself. Leadership isn’t about commanding attention. It’s about energising people to come up with ideas, to solve problems and to make great progress.

So next time you step into a room, don’t think, How do I lead this meeting?

Ask, “How do I flip it?”

PS. Given the topic of this post, it felt hypocritical to be giving advice, rather than asking you to share yours. So please consider this a conversation starter!

What are some of the other ways you can flip the room today? 

Until next time,
Simon