Many meetings fail or become a breeding ground for conflict because the necessary clarifications have not been communicated in advance.
Preconceptions about role, purpose and intentions remain hidden and lead to misunderstandings for others.
What role am I acting in? What hat do I have on? The same statement can have totally different effects, depending on whether I am acting as a person, as a man or woman, as a colleague, boss or employee, as a friend. Before I broadcast, the other person needs to know which channel I am on (“taking something the wrong way”).
Clarifying these points helps to avoid misunderstandings and to return to the thread of the discussion if others have moved outside the framework (by changing the topic or even their role).
Sometimes there are differing opinions regarding the time frame. The more people are involved in a meeting, the more important advance clarification can be.
In routine meetings, everyone involved knows the framework, so that work can start on the content straight away. The newer the situation is for one or more of those involved, the more necessary it becomes to clarify the framework. If, however, the framework (role, intention, task, time…) is not accepted by the other side, the meeting is destined to fail.