Designing Effective Meetings

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• Designing Effective Meetings

The Art of Working Together
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Effective meetings include

• A clear purpose
• Clear outcomes
• Design and mood to produce outcomes
• Establish an Agenda
• Clear decision-making method
• Protocols for working together
• Commitments and conditions of satisfaction

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Purpose

• Why Are We Here?
• Long Term / Big Picture
• Example Course Learning Teams
• Purpose To improve student achievement by
  focusing of effective instructional strategies,
  assessments, and resources at the course level.

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Outcomes

• What Are We Doing?
• Intended Effects of Meeting
• Example Course Learning Teams
• Outcome To increase student achievement.

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Purpose and Outcomes
Describe the End, Not the Means!!
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Establishing an Agenda

• Focus on outcomes and purpose
• Use time well
• Use what you know about your team to anticipate
  roadblocks and be responsive
• Give structure to the process

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Meeting Design and Logistics

• Mood
• Location
• Seating/setup
• Grouping
• Equipment
• Supplies
• Food

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Decision-Making Methods

• Authoritarian
• Consultative
• Consensus
• Democratic

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Consensus

• Requires the most time and skill from
  participants.
• Trust in and within the group
• Requires a trained facilitator.
• Reserved for issues with long-term, large scale
  impacts.

• It contains the possibility of generating
  significant commitment and ownership from those
  participating

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Consensus Sequence

• Purpose of this decision time limits
• Brainstorm possible options
• Combine/Eliminate duplicates
• Advocacy
• Individuals rate various options
• Tally ratings and rank order
• Consensus discussion

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Dynamics Of Group Decision-making
DIVERGENT THINKING
CONVERGENT THINKING
NEW TOPIC
DECISION POINT
At times the individual members of a group need
to express their own points of view. At other
times, the same people want to narrow their
differences and aim the discussion toward
closure.
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When We Disagree

• We disclose the reasons why
• We work to find an alternative consensus
• We do not hold the meeting hostage to our
  personal interests
• If we cant make our personal interests a common
  interest, we dismiss the personal interests

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We Have ReachedConsensus When

• We understand each others points of view
• We all give our consent
• We consent to what is developed in our absence
• We can live with the decision
• We will support the decision in public and private

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Establish Protocols

• Create structure to the meeting that defines the
  expected behaviors and responsibilities of the
  group members.

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Protocols

• Example
• I will contribute but will not dominate.
• I will avoid side conversations while another
  person is speaking.
• I will be fully present and participate fully.
• I will take care of myself.
• I will seek clarity if I dont understand.

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What is the role of the facilitator?

• To support the best thinking of the members of
  the group through design, facilitation, and
  follow up.

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Facilitative Strategies that Stretch the Limits
of Communication Styles
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Listening

• The range and richness of a discussion the
  ability of the facilitator to tolerate (accept)
  diverse communication styles.

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Paraphrasing

• The gateway to other facilitative skills

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Asking Probing Questions

• Goes hand in hand with paraphrasing
• Serves to draw people out
• It moves people to the deep structure of their
  thinking

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Finding Common Ground

• A four-step process
• Indicate that your are going to focus on the
  groups differences and similarities
• Summarize each
• Find the common ground and state it
• Ask for agreement of the common ground

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Intentional Silence

• Can cause anxiety for the facilitator
• Can be used with individuals and with groups
• It may be one of your strongest strategies in
  getting a group moving!

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Types of Difficult Dynamics

• Domination
• Side conversations
• Lack of participation
• Two people conflicting
• Silent members

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Role of Facilitator

• Importance of protocols
• Address in a supportive manner
• Maintain positive presuppositions

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Outcomes of Highly Prized Facilitation Skills

• Advance the personal learning of members of the
  group
• Improve the capacity and effectiveness of groups
  to work together
• Tap into the collective wisdom of the membership
• Give birth to sound, intelligent, tangible,
  sustainable agreements