This is Dale Hunter’s meeting guidelines, which he discusses in his books, including 1995’s The Zen of Groups and 2012’s The Art of Facilitation. This is the HTML version of a PDF that was once online.
See my related Collaboration and Meetings pages.
Here are the elements of meeting design for a cooperative group using collective decision making.
Checklist:
Before the meeting, ensure all required resources are prepared and at hand ready to use when appropriate. Prepare the room so it is clean and welcoming, with chairs (and tables if necessary) set up as you want them for the meeting. Provide only the number of chairs needed.
Ensure that people are greeted on arrival and that coats, bags and so on are attended to. People need time to arrive, greet one another and “get there” both physically and mentally. The culture of the group (and the organisation of which it is a part) is most readily established at the beginning of the meeting – even before the meeting proper begins. Model the behaviours that you want to promote. Think about these questions:
Sit in a circle or round a table without any gaps or empty chairs. Ensure everyone is on the same level; for example, don’t have some people on chairs and some on the floor. Make sure everyone is comfortable, not too hot or cold, and that there is air circulating in the room, and sufficient light and sound levels. Ensure everyone is close enough to hear others clearly and see their faces. If someone is seated behind another person ask them to come forward, rearranging chairs as required. Repeat the request if necessary.
There may be a ritual way of starting your meetings such as a welcome speech or circle.
Establish who is taking the following roles:
The facilitator checks out with the group to see if introductions are needed. Introductions are needed if this is a first meeting or if new people have joined the group. If appropriate, introduce yourself as the facilitator and then invite group members to introduce themselves. This can take the form of a round.
The facilitator checks if everyone is now ready to participate.
Note: People may have personal issues (births, deaths, accomplishments) that they want to share. If a group member is upset or unwell, check with them to see if they would prefer not to attend the meeting. Give them the opportunity to leave.
The facilitator confirms:
Ground rules are optional but useful. They need to be clearly understood and agreed by everyone. Examples of ground rules are:
Share short items of information that are relevant to the meeting and do not require discussion (such as apologies for non-attendance). If you find people always get into instant discussion, it may be preferable to put each information item on the agenda.
Review all decisions made at the previous meeting and check out action taken as a result of decisions. Record the action taken on each decision. If action has not been taken, bring forward decisions and re-enter them in the records of this meeting. If action is no longer practical or relevant, note this alongside the decision in previous records.
This model is often used by groups using collective decision making.
Keep in mind the following:
Each agenda item is now discussed in turn. The following process may be useful.
The facilitator invites the initiator to:
The facilitator seeks clarification and group agreement for the ideas outlined by the initiator to be implemented. If the initiator is unclear about techniques or processes, the facilitator will suggest one. If specific feedback or ideas are requested, the facilitator may find the technique of rounds useful. Often a round will clarify the issue, and common ground and differences will become obvious.
When this process is complete, the facilitator summarises and checks to see what else is needed for the initiator’s request to be fulfilled.
If group agreement is needed, request proposals from the group. Continue this process until a proposal is suggested which meets general agreement. It may be helpful to reach minor agreements along the way. Record these. If a decision is being held up by one or two people, the facilitator can ask what they propose to solve the difficulty. If agreement is still not reached, check with dissenters to see if they are directly affected by the outcome. If not, see if they will allow the decision to be made anyway. Those directly affected by a decision need to be directly involved in the decision making.
The timekeeper keeps an eye on the time and lets the meeting know how it is going. It is usually better not to extend the time, as there is a group “law” that decision making expands to fill the time available. Not extending time educates the group to be intentional in decision making.
If a decision is not made, you may need an interim decision such as:
Records of the meeting need to include:
Write down each decision as it is reached, including specific actions, if any, to be taken. Note who will take action on the decision and by when. Always be very specific.
Decide the date and time of the next meeting.
A closing round may be held in which people express anything that is still incomplete for them from the meeting, or any acknowledgements they would like to give to other members of the group.
The group may have a ritual for ending the meeting.
After the meeting, circulate decisions to participants. Alternatively, you may keep a decision book in a central place.
A useful tool between meetings is to set up a decision management system. This could take the form of “buddies” who coach one another towards taking the action they said they would by the time promised. Another method is to nominate a “decision manager” who keeps in contact with people carrying out decisions and “coaches” them to meet their commitments.