A meeting parking lot is a space for off-topic questions, comments, and discussions that don't fit the current meeting's agenda. It can also be used to note down topics for future meetings if there isn't time to cover them in the current meeting.
Step 1: Introduce
At the start of the session, explain the idea of the meeting parking lot to the meeting or workshop participants. Highlight that using the parking lot is to the benefit of the whole group because it helps everyone to stay focused.
Invite the group to also be aware of questions, comments, or discussions that might be placed on the parking lot because they don't fit to the current meeting's agenda.
Step 2: Keep it visible
Keep the meeting parking lot visible and reachable for all participants. It should be easy to quickly add items to it and to come back to them if needed.
Step 3: Wrap it up
As the session comes to a close, check if there is time to address the points and questions on the parking lot with the whole group. If not, discuss with the group when and how these points will be addressed.
Imagine, that you are working inside a non-profit and are having a meeting to discuss the final details to launch a campaign to gather new donations. In this meeting, it is important to focus on open questions that need to be answered before the campaign can go live. But since it's the start of the project, everyone has a lot of other things on their mind to discuss.
This is a great use case for a meeting parking lot because it helps the group to stick to the meeting agenda, while at the same time being able to note down other important questions and topics that can be addressed later.
Below, you can see an example of what such a meeting parking lot could look like at the end of the session.
