COLLABORATION MODULE #3 Planning Good Meetings An online module developed by Pivot Learning Partners for the West Contra Costa Unified School District

This module is one of a series of six that focus on the foundational skills and tools for collaboration: Setting and Using Norms Assigning Roles in Meetings Planning Good Meetings Making Decisions Collaboratively Establishing Goals and Milestones Giving and Receiving Feedback ABOUT THIS MODULE 3

More about this module Each module includes a PowerPoint presentation a two-page Quick Guide on the topic one or more tools or templates videos of teams at work (not included in some modules). Individuals or groups can use these modules in flexible ways, and depending on the group’s choices, they can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour to complete. 3

When your meetings go wrong, what is usually the problem? Too many agenda items? Unclear outcomes? Failure to stay on schedule? Unclear about whether the item is a discussion, a report, a decision, or something else? Everybody rushes off at the end without being clear about next steps? Other? 3

Take a moment It is easier to solve problems when we are clear about what they are! If you are working on this module as a team, take a moment to brainstorm a list of what goes wrong when your meetings get off track. If you are working on this module individually, it is still worthwhile to make such a list. 3

Good news—all of this is fixable! Good meetings reflect good planning: A meeting should have a purpose—a general reason the specific group of people should be there. A meeting should also have outcomes—specific results you intend to achieve. The meeting outcomes flow from the outcomes of each agenda item. Every agenda item should have an amount of time allocated to it. Every agenda should provide time for the group to review agreements and next steps. 3

Remembering these four key ingredients to a good meeting solves many problems: Purpose: If a meeting doesn’t need to happen, cancel it. And make sure that everyone who is invited actually needs to be there. Outcomes: Purposes can be general, but outcomes are specific. Meetings happen to share information, generate ideas, make decisions, or gather input. Be clear about what outcome you intend. We recommend that each agenda item have an outcome. Time: If the outcome is clear, allocate enough time to get it done. Agreements and next steps: Record these as you go along and review them at the end. 3

Remember to adopt and review norms and to assign roles: The facilitator creates the agenda. The recorder records key points, decisions, or agreements. The timekeeper keeps folks on track. The process observer keeps an eye on norms and how the meeting is going and, at the end of the meeting, leads a discussion about what could go better next time. 3

Using a standard template for agendas helps people know what to expect: 3 TimeItemProcess/leadOutcome 3:00–3:20Upcoming PD sessions Discuss priorities/ Shirley will lead Decide on focus for next three sessions 3:20–3:30Item #2 3:30–3:40Item #3 3:40–3:45Review next steps

Discussion To learn more about this agenda template, refer to the Quick Guide on planning meetings, included in this module. What is different about this agenda template from others you may have seen or worked with? What problems do you think using this template might solve for your team? 3

Practice activity Find the agenda template in the module. Work together as a team to develop a draft agenda for an upcoming meeting. What do you notice about using the agenda template? What are the hard parts? What benefits make these worthwhile? 3

Don’t forget: even a good meeting can end badly! At the end of each meeting, effective teams review agreements and next steps reflect together on how the meeting went have an explicit discussion about to what extent the team followed their norms. Immediately after each meeting, the recorder sends out notes on the discussion (if some people missed the meeting) most importantly, agreements, next steps, and homework. 3

Questions to think about Review our discussion of what goes wrong when your team has a less-than-ideal meeting. Which of the tools we’ve discussed might help? What agreements could your team members make with each other to improve the effectiveness of your meetings? If you are working on this module as a team, now is a great time to practice making and recording clear agreements! 3

Scenario Role Play: Assign roles. Everybody should take on a role that is different than who they actually are. What happens next? (five minutes) Stop: Now, discuss. What should happen next? Who needs to change to get there? 3

Thank You!