Helpful Hints for Effective Meetings

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Helpful Hints for Effective Meetings

• New Hanover County Schools
• Betsy Stanwood
• Revised Fall 2006
• Additional input from Debbie Stout

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Desired Outcomes

• Introduction to meeting facilitation techniques
• Introduction to basic mediation strategies

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Effective meetings

• What do effective meetings include?
• They should include
• Meeting facilitator
• Meeting agenda
• Appropriate physical environment
• Meeting checklist Review for preparation
• Ground rules
• Communication among team members that is
  respectful of others positions on the topic

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Meeting Facilitator

• What is a meeting facilitator?
• A meeting facilitator is the person in charge of
  the meeting. They move the meeting along making
  sure that the focus of the meeting is kept and
  the participants all have opportunities for input
  questions while keeping communication open,
  honest, and professional.

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Meeting Facilitator Roles Responsibilities

• Prior to meeting
• Identifies the purpose of the meeting
• Develops the agenda
• Identifies roles for participants
• Obtains an appropriate location for the meeting
• Makes sure all necessary participants are invited
  to the meeting
• Schedules a pre-meeting with certain
  participants, if appropriate

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Meeting Facilitator Roles Responsibilities

• At the meeting
• Distributes the agenda
• Makes sure introductions are made roles are
  clear
• Establishes ground rules
• Keeps to the agenda
• Assists the group with the process of the meeting

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Meeting Facilitator Roles Responsibilities

• At the end of the meeting
• Summarize actions
• Identifies any next steps
• Sets next meeting date, if necessary
• Thanks the group for their time participation

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Techniques Used by Effective Facilitators

• Avoid detailed decision making with a large group
• Focus energies on actions that effect the
  outcomes (stickers vs. stamps)
• Move the group to actions
• Prioritize, clarify, decide, develop, identify,
  determine, complete
• Seek confirm commitments
• Each participant gets a job
• Change observers to doers
• Post actions with names assigned or send
  follow-up summary
• Bring closure to items or discussions
• Reach consensus
• If agreement to an action is reached, keep it
  moving

Coming Together Conference- February 19, 2001 Dr.
Norma Taylor, Assistant Director, Special
Education Related Services
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Techniques Used by Effective Facilitators

• Keep everyone involved.
• We have heard from the math science
  departments, what do the counselors think?
• Lets hear some comments from this side of the
  table.
• Mom Dad, what are your thoughts on this idea?
• Mr. Assistant Principal, we have not heard your
  thoughts on this yet.
• Use an issue bin for noting ideas, suggestions,
  or concerns not on the agenda (to be addressed at
  a later time or meeting)
• Great for redirecting people who stay off the
  topic
• Write it down move back on track
• Avoid asking people to hold that thought for
  later bring it up when we are finished with
  this.
• Be flexible
• Change the agenda if items need to be
  re-prioritized
• Ask for a 5 minute break
• The train can change tracks after it leaves the
  depot
• Summarize results follow-up before the ending
  time
• What did we do?
• How did we do?
• What needs to happen next?
• When will we reconvene (if necessary)?

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Meeting agenda

• When do you need to design an agenda?
• Consider designing an agenda when
• There are controversial issues to resolve
• There is an anticipated dispute
• There are a large number of people involved
• There are trust issues among team participants
• There is a complex issue to discuss or resolve
• There is a time crunch

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Design an agenda

• How do you design an agenda?
• Consider designing an agenda that includes
• Date of meeting
• Start time ending time
• Assigned roles for participants (time keeper,
  note taker, etc)
• Location
• Purpose of meeting
• Desired outcome for the meeting
• List participants
• Agenda items (Be sure to include introductions
  ground rules)
• Participant who is addressing each agenda item
  listed
• Timeframe dedicated to each agenda item
• Next steps or actions for meeting follow-up
• Participant responsible for each next step/action
  
• Determination of next meeting (if necessary) as
  last step

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Appropriate physical environment

• How do you set up the physical environment?
• Consider the following when setting up the
  physical environment prior to a meeting
• Privacy with limited distractions during the
  meeting
• Adequate meeting space including
• Size of room (not too big but not over crowded)
• Ventilation
• Lighting
• Temperature
• Seating
• Equipment supplies including
• Necessary forms
• Pens
• Paper for notes
• Copies of information to be shared
• Seating arrangement
• Staff mingled among other participants (not
  parents their advocate on one side of table
  staff on the other side)

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Meeting checklist Review for preparation

• What kinds of things should be on a meeting
  checklist that you review for preparation for a
  meeting?
• These are the types of things that should be on
  the meeting checklist
• Provide adequate notice of the date, time, place,
  purpose of the meeting
• The purpose of the meeting is clear
• Meeting has clear beginning ending times (The
  ending time is changed only with consent of the
  entire team.)
• Roles are clarified at the beginning of the
  meeting
• Team members are prepared for the meeting (Bring
  data, educational records, progress reports,
  other assessments, probes, work samples, etc.)
• The room seating arrangements support the
  meetings purpose
• Decision making procedures are clear for all team
  members
• Working agreements are clear affirmed by all
  team members
• All participants are involved contribute fully
• The real issues are raised dealt with honestly
  (Different points of view are encouraged
  valued)
• A clear written record is kept which summarizes
  all decisions made
• The meeting ends with a process evaluation
• The group assigns accountability establishes
  action items everyone leaves with a clear
  understanding of who will do what by when to
  follow through on meeting agreements
• Communication avenues (who to ask which
  questions) are clarified

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Ground Rules

• For long meetings or multiple meetings situation
  
• Ground rules are usually determined by the group
  through a brainstorming/listing process. These
  are recorded posted.
• For short meetings
• The facilitator might present rules ask the
  group for additions or deletions.

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Ground Rules

• What other things should be considered in
  establishing ground rules?
• Consider these notes
• At the outset, let people know what you hope to
  accomplish in the allotted time. Even though the
  agenda is printed and distributed, it will help
  to restate the objective in your own words.
• At the outset, let people know at what time in
  the meeting you plan to revisit progress toward
  the meeting purpose and have the team decide to
  continue with meeting past agreed ending time or
  identify a second meeting date.
• Meetings have different formats, each of which
  suggests a set of ground rules.
• For example,
• there are no bad ideas in brainstorming
  sessions, and speakers may or may not be
  permitted to interrupt one another. Participants
  should understand whether they are expected to
  contribute to the conversation, or just listen.
  If you set clear ground rules at the beginning,
  it will be easier to keep the meeting on track.
• To avoid interruptions, put telephones on "do not
  disturb" and turn off mobile phones or set to
  vibrate.

Ground Rules
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Sample Ground Rules

• Start on time/end on time
• Stay on task
• Honor facilitators requests
• Listen to each other (one person talks at a time)
• Open, honest communication
• There are NO dumb questions
• Accept others comments without judgment
• Discussion is confidential
• ?Additional sample ground rules are listed in
  Sample ground rules links at end of this
  PowerPoint.

Ground Rules Start on Time Stay on
Task Listen Accept Others Comments
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Communication Among Team Members that is
Respectful of Others Positions on the Topic

• Be a Vibeswatcher
• Pay attention to nonverbal communication, such
  as
• Body language
• Facial expressions
• Side conversations
• People interrupting each other
• Pay attention to verbal communications, such as
• Making judgmental statements
• Making global all or none kinds of statements
  (we never do that)
• Making personal attacks or accusations ( meeting
  facilitator should use reframing to get at the
  underlying legitimate issues or concerns)
• Making unclear statements (meeting facilitator
  should question team member further for
  clarification)

Lets see. Yes, they are smiling and shaking
hands.
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Techniques that Dissolve Communication
Threatening If you dont, then You had better
or else
Ordering You must You have to You will
Preaching Its your duty to You should You
ought to
Lecturing Here is why you are wrong Do you
realize
Focusing on Self Listen to my problem Nothing
is as bad as I have it
Denying I dont see anything wrong There is
no problem
Judging You are just crazy You have no
ethics
Laying Blame She is the reason for the
trouble Its your fault
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What Do You Think?
Look at this picture. List or discuss the things
you observe the mediator (meeting facilitator)
doing that are poor meeting facilitation
behaviors.

• Just a few observations!
• Talking on phone while meeting in progress
• Eating
• Leaning back in chair
• Feet on table (too casual)
• Allowing arguments
• Allowing crying

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A Meeting Gone Wrong

• What kinds of things can happen to make a meeting
  go wrong?
• Consider these things
• Someone says to a parent
• We cant do
• We dont do
• We never do
• We only do
• We dont believe in
• No student gets more than
• It would cost too much to
• It would take too much
• I have 25 (30) other students in my class so
• You should put your child on medication or
• I believe it is willful behavior
• Staff unprepared for meeting
• Staff in disagreement with each other during
  meeting (should the team have had a pre-meeting?)

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Unreasonable Requests

• What if a member or parent seems unreasonable?
• Consider responding with one of the following
  questions
• Where did you hear about that? Could you provide
  me with a copy or give me the source so that we
  can gather more information?
• Are you using that at home?
• Do you have data on that? Can you get us
  information?
• Which IEP goals (objectives) do you see that
  addressing?
• How do you envision it being implemented?
• Have you seen progress in this area?
• Have we described what were doing in the program
  were using?
• What part (s) of the IEP/IAP/Interventions do you
  agree are appropriate?
• Are you familiar with our process for determining
  ?

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Out of the Box Thinking
We encourage our teams to think outside of the box
Think of one meeting you have participated in as
a team member and the team came up with an
innovative idea to resolve the issue.
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Other Effective Meeting Strategies

• Using consensus
• What is consensus?
• A general agreement reached through open
  communication, understanding opposing views,
  consideration of alternatives in an open fair
  environment shared commitment to the decision
  reached. The focus is on unanimous commitment
  instead of unanimous agreement.

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Other Effective Meeting Strategies

• Using conflict resolution strategies
• What is conflict and what are sources of
  conflict?
• Conflict is a controversy, disagreement, or
  opposition. It is the natural tension that arises
  from different perspectives.

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Sources of Conflict

• What are some sources (causes) of conflict?

• Expectations
• Broken Promises
• Incompetence
• Lack of Quality

• Resources
• Time
• Money
• Personnel
• Space

• Values
• Priorities
• Perceptions
• Styles

• Personal
• Standing on Principles
• Inner Conflict
• Unmet Needs

The JCA Mediation Model 1995 Justice Center of
Atlanta
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Dynamics of Conflict

• What happens if conflict goes unresolved?
• Feelings intensify
• Positions harden
• Dehumanizing occurs
• Desire to punish emerges
• Communication Deteriorates

The JCA Mediation Model 1995 Justice Center of
Atlanta
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Other Effective Meeting Strategies

• Formal Informal Mediation

Informal Mediation
Formal Mediation

• Mediation is an act of bringing two states, sides
  or parties in a dispute closer together toward
  agreement through alternative dispute resolution
  (ADR), a dialogue in which a (generally) neutral
  third party, the mediator, using appropriate
  techniques, assists two or more parties to help
  them negotiate an agreement, with concrete
  effects, on a matter of common interest.
• Court mandated mediation
• Mediation Center

• An informal, voluntary process intended to
  resolve conflicts, without resorting to
  arbitration or litigation, by using an impartial
  third party to facilitate an agreement .
• Third party (liaison, administrator, etc) attend
  meeting to assist in facilitating resolution of
  issues
• Third party (liaison, administrator, etc)
  assisting in facilitating communication between
  parties
• Facilitated IEP

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Language of Resolution Techniques

• What are some mediation techniques that help
  resolve conflict?

Statement Purpose How To Do Example
To convey interest to keep the other party
talking
Dont agree or disagree use neutral words
Can you tell me more?
Encouraging
To get more information to help the speaker see
other points of view
Ask questions
When did this happen?
Clarifying
To show you are listening check your
interpretations
Find positive from negative statement
You wish he were more helpful?
Flip Sides
To show understanding of how one feels to help
party evaluate his/her feelings
Reflect a persons basic feelings
You seem very angry.
Reflect Feelings
The JCA Mediation Model 1995 Justice Center of
Atlanta
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Language of Resolution Techniques

• What are some mediation techniques that help
  resolve conflict?
• Statement Purpose How To Do Example

To review progress to pull together ideas to
establish basis for further discussion
Restate major ideas expressed
These seem to be the key ideas so far.
Summarizing
Acknowledge value of issues show appreciation
for efforts and actions
I appreciate your willingness to resolve this
matter.
To acknowledge worthiness of the person
Validating
To create doubt in ones mind about a hardened
position
Cite possible consequences confront
discrepancies and unrealistic viewpoints
Have you thought about what court costs might be
involved?
Reality Testing
The JCA Mediation Model 1995 Justice Center of
Atlanta
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• The most important thing in communication is to
  hear what isn't being said.
• Peter Drucker (1909 - 2005)

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Resources

• Resources Links
• http//www.gsanetwork.org/resources/pdf/Meetings.p
  df
• http//www.reclaiming.org/resources/consensus/blak
  ey.html
• http//web.mit.edu/hr/oed/learn/meetings/art_basic
  s.html
• http//web.mit.edu/hr/oed/learn/meetings/art_agend
  a.html
• http//www.salary.com/advice/layouthtmls/advl_disp
  lay_nocat_Ser265_Par384.html
• The JCA Mediation Model 1995, Justice Center of
  Atlanta, Inc.

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More Resources

• Sample agenda links
• http//www.sife.org/united_states/sife_teams/manag
  ement_forms/Sample20Meeting20Agenda2.doc
• http//www.dhi.org/images/PDFforms/SampleAgendagen
  eric.pdf
• http//web.mit.edu/hr/oed/learn/meetings/agenda.do
  c
• Sample ground rules links
• http//www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/County_Services/Div
  ersity_Council/Information/DCInfo_MtgGroundRules.h
  tm
• http//www.slostateparks.com/general_park_info/hcp
  /habitats/Rules_of_Procedure.pdf
• http//ais.msu.edu/Internal/ProjectMgt/documents/S
  ampleTeamMeetingGroundRules.pdf

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