One of the most dispiriting moments for any meeting facilitator is that time, often late in the day, when after much discussion and debate, and just as you're on the verge of making an important decision someone says, "It doesn't matter to me, I'll go along with whatever the group decides." With that, like the air rushing from a balloon, the energy in the room is gone in an instant. If you don't act quickly and decisively the indifference virus that was unleashed by a single person will infect the entire team in a matter of seconds, putting the success of your meeting, and perhaps your personal stake in that success, in jeopardy.

Here are five ways to fight the apathy bug and take back control of any meeting:

(1) Recognize it: Apathy doesn't materialize suddenly, the symptoms often appear well in advance, and you can easily recognize them most of the time: lack of discussion on key points, body language suggesting indifference and a lack of concern (such as crossed arms), and people leaving the room frequently. If you see any of these behaviors, re-orient the team by asking simple questions, such as: "Is everyone with me?" "Does this make sense?" You might even consider asking whether there is an issue with the process you've put in place. Perhaps that is inhibiting the group's creativity.

(2) Get to the root: People will sometimes check out of a discussion because of a perceived slight, or because they feel they're not being understood. If you sense this is the issue, draw the person out, have them articulate their thoughts, and attempt to have others restate the opinion to their satisfaction. This way they'll know colleagues understand their point of view and will be more inclined to vigorously defend it.

(3) Shake things up:  Civility is vital in any meeting; the last thing you want are personal attacks that can leave permanent emotional scars on the entire team. However, it is possible to create an environment in which people feel safe to challenge entrenched views and pursue vigorous debate in a spirit of honest exchange. Your job as a facilitator is to encourage such healthy debate. Doing so puts you in good company; while researching his bestselling book, "Good to Great," author Jim Collins discovered that many of the companies making the ascent frequently engaged in passionate and heated discussions, all in a spirit of inquiry and learning.

(4) Stick to the agenda:  This is my most pragmatic piece of advice, but one that must never be overlooked. If you allow rambling, off-topic monologues to persist unchecked, topics that at best belong on a 'parking lot' list, you're sure to engender apathy in all those held captive by a loquacious colleague. Walk over to the person, and respectfully interject by saying something like, "How does (what they're saying) relate to the point we're currently discussing? Can you make that link for us?" Then draw the entire group back to the agenda topic at hand and encourage others to share their points of view.

One of the Amazon reviews of this book called it "Gladwell-esque," and I would completely agree. If you enjoy the noetic excursions of Malcolm Gladwell, you're sure to appreciate the writing and many insights Partnoy offers in this entertaining volume. His principal insight, one that runs counter-intuitive to many of us, is that we often rush to judgment, and should instead delay making decisions by as long a period as possible. For professional tennis players that wait translates to milliseconds, while for business professionals it could be days or weeks. Basically if we have a minute to make a decision, wait 59 seconds. If we have an hour, wait 59 minutes. Partnoy, again like Gladwell and others, mines an impressive lode of studies, surveys and interviews to present his case for delaying our reactions.