1. Professional Facilitation
Leading meetings and committees to success!

2. Goals of Workshop How to prepare for professional meetings
Facilitating effective committee meetings
Discuss empowering language that can be used during meetings

3. Working with Committees What to do before a meeting
Clarify purpose and goals
Create an agenda
Make room arrangements
Schedule the meeting
Initial meeting 2 weeks in advance
Reminder week of meeting
Post and send out agenda
Circulate supporting information in advance

4. Logistics! Logistics! Determine the meeting time/location
How many will attend?
What time/day works for most individuals involved?
What do you need to do to reserve the space?
Creating the agenda
What needs to be discussed?
What decisions need to be made?
What needs to be delegated?
What tasks need to be completed?
What does the team/committee need to be informed about?
What is coming up?
What needs to be followed up on?

5. Working with Committees What to do during a meeting
Start on time
Distribute and Review Agenda
Keep Discussion Focused
Encourage participation
Help Group come to decisions
Summarize decisions
Agree on action plan
Delegate responsibilities
Draft agenda for next meeting
- For subsequent meetings make sure to follow up with progress on tasks assigned

6. Working with Committees What to do After a meeting
Reserve next meeting space
Distribute minutes to committee
Key points
Who is responsible for what follow-up action & by when
Archive meeting documents
Complete assigned tasks
Send meeting reminder to committee

7. Adding the Effective into Meetings
Think about a meeting that you’ve been to lately that you consider to have been effective
How do effective team meetings contribute to collaboration?
Individually, list as many ideas as you can about factors that contribute to effective team meetings.
In pairs of triads, talk about your ideas and identity five ideas that you and your partner consider most important to effective team meetings.

8. Tips for Leading Effective Meetings
Good structure
Defines when and how groups will come together to do their work
Good process
Communication and related strategies that help groups organize their work.
Good leadership/facilitation
Promote relationship building and participation
Accomplish team’s tasks

9. Strong Structures Decide on regular meeting times
Decide how meeting will be conducted (use of agendas and roles)
How will decisions be made? (consensus, democratic)
Identify group norms and purpose
What would group norms be?
Talk about how members will communicate between meetings.

10. Productive Process Use roles and share them when possible
Facilitator, timekeeper, recorder
Facilitators role can be and should be shared to create a sense of equal value.
Find ways to develop trust and a sense of shared responsibility
Pay attention to the use of good communication skills
Allow time for the group to say what they are doing well and what can be improved.
Use of Agendas and timelines
Come up with partial agenda and ask for input and additional items
If there’s too much to do, prioritize and stick to your timelines

11. Problem-Solving Activity
Think about some times when meetings have not been effective (please do not be specific)
“What happened and why you saw this as a challenge.”
Group Members: Drawing on your own experiences as well as today’s discussion, generate alternatives to the situations described.

12. Leadership & Facilitation
Balance the task and relationship aspects of collaboration
Focus both on getting tasks done and developing good relationships
Read the energy of the group and adapt as necessary
Use humor-wisely
Use your role to develop a sense of equity among members
Encourage participation
Remind members that participation is listening and talking
When necessary, step in to help resolve conflict and/or to help in doing so.
Use your role as a way to identity when decisions are being made
Not the difference between “discussion time” and “deciding time.”

13. Any Questions?

14. Common Meeting Problems
Dominant Participants
Silent Participants
Round robin
Name plates
Allow individual brainstorm time
Small groups
Discuss in private
Emphasize importance of everyone contributing

15. Common Meeting Problems
Can’t Make decisions
Why does this happen?
What are solutions?
Create actionable agenda with clear expectations
Use prioritize tools
Ask for alternatives
Go back to the purpose
Finishing on time
Timekeeper
Place topics that require more discussion at the very beginning
Start meeting on time
End meeting on time

16. The art of facilitation
Paraphrase
Paraphrase what a participant has said so that he or she feels understood and provide a concise summary of statement for participants
EX: So, what you’re saying is that we need to talk with AS before determining our program date?
Check for Meaning
Check your understanding of a participant’s statement or ask the participant clarify what he or she is saying.
EX: Are you saying that this plan is not realistic? I’m not sure that I understand exactly what you mean.”
Give positive feedback
Compliment an interesting or insightful comment. EX: That’s a good point. I’m glad that you brought that to our attention.”
Expand
Elaborate on a participants contribution to the discussion with examples, or suggest a new way to view the problem.

17. Basic Principles
How would you define the role of the facilitator of a meeting?
“Facilitator accepts responsibility to help the group accomplish a common task by moving through the agenda in the time available and to make the necessary decisions and plans for implementation.”
Facilitator doesn’t make decisions for the group but suggests way to help the group move forward. Its important that each member understands they play an important role
Your commitment is to the group not the individual
- Describe the difference between professional facilitation and facilitation a discussion

18. The art of facilitation
Increase the Pace
Energize the discussion by quickening the pace, using humor, or, if necessary, prodding the group for more contributions.
EX: Ok so I know we are all tired so for the next 2 minutes I want you to throw out as many programming ideas you can on the topic of Cesar Chavez. Ready go!
Devil’s Advocate
Disagree (gently) with a participants comments to stimulate further discussion
EX: I can see where you are coming from, but I’m not sure what you are describing is always the case. What do you think students from AS Gov would view this problem?
Relieve Tension
Mediate differences of opinion between participants and relieve any tensions that may be brewing.
Consolidate
Pull together ideas, showing their relationship to each other.

19. The art of facilitation
Change the process
Alter the method of obtaining participation or by having the group evaluate ideas that have been presented.
EX: “Let’s break into smaller groups and see if you can come up with some ideas”
Summarize
Summarize (and record) the major views of the group.