Cohousing-L Mailing List: Effective Meetings

[JJSherwood (JJSherwood]

In a message dated 10/3/97, Paul Milne asked about meeting effectiveness.
  Sometime ago, I prepared the following to help with our meetings.  I hope
there is something here that is useful....

Jack Sherwood <jjsherwood [at] aol.com>
Deer Island Village
Novato, CA 

GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE MEETINGS.Revision 3

Consensus

        Defined:  A consensual decision is one that everyone can support without
feeling significant values have been compromised or ignored, furthermore,
everyone agrees to implement the decision with positive energy.  

                Consensus does not mean unanimity or total agreement, it means 
that
everyone is able to say:  "Whether I am in complete agreement or not, I feel
heard, and the decision appears to be in the best interests of the community,
therefore, I will not stand in the way of its implementation."  

                When unable to achieve consensus, a back-up process needs to be
established. 

Every Member's Role

        Responsibilities:       Everyone needs to feel responsible for the 
success of any
meeting they attend.

        Useful Behaviors:       
*       Listen to others.  Listening requires being active.
*       Ask when you are unclear or when you think others may be unclear.  
        You don't have to be "right" to make a contribution.
*       Try to adopt a perspective whereby everyone can win and feel good about 
the
        decision, rather than--if you win, I lose.
*       If you find yourself talking a lot, seek input from others.
*       Don't wait for the facilitator to do everything.  Assume responsibility 
for
the     success of the meeting.  Whenever you believe the meeting is not working
well, you should share that observation.  

The Meeting Itself      Begins: Meetings begin by identifying who has 
volunteered
for roles of:  (a) note taker; (b) time keeper; (c) decision recorder; and
(d) keeper of the heart (observes the emotional tone of the group

                Brief Check-in:  Before agenda is reviewed, the facilitator 
initiates a
brief check-in, where everyone has chance to say something about themselves.
 This helps create a feeling of joining together to get something done.

                Set-up and clean-up volunteers:  After the check-in, volunteers 
are sought.

                The agenda is then reviewed, modified where appropriate, and 
accepted.

                Ends:   Patience is necessary as a meeting ends, because in 
effective
meetings a lot is done at what appears to be the end:

*       Read all decisions.
*       List items to be carried over to next meeting.
*       Review all assignments or commitments with due dates.
*       Agree as to time and place of next meeting.
*       Name facilitator for next meeting.
*       Conduct brief critique of present meeting (what worked, what didn't, 
what
needs improvement).
*       Celebrate the successes of the meeting and express appreciation to
facilitator.

Facilitator Role

        Responsibilities:       
*       Meet with facilitator from previous meeting to debrief (learn from that
meeting) and plan next agenda.
*       Seek input for agenda from appropriate people.
*       Draft agenda on flip chart or handout.
*       Attach to each agenda item the outcome sought and suggested time 
allowed:  
        - provide information to group (requires tight time management).
        - allow opportunity for questions and answers.
        - seek information from group (requires tight time management).
        - decision requires much looser time management).
*       See that necessary equipment is in meeting room and ready for use, such 
as
flip chart with agenda, name tags with bold pen, handouts.
*       Decide on structure for meeting:
        - meet as one group for entire session.
        - use subgroups or breakout groups for part of agenda.
        - hear from named group members.
        - timing of breaks.
        - role of outside speaker or guests.
*       Before meeting begins find volunteers to serve as (a) note taker, (b) 
time
keeper, (c) decision recorder--records of all decisions, and (d) keeper of
the heart.

        Useful Behaviors:       
*       Start every meeting on time, even if everyone has not 
arrived--otherwise it
is disrespectful of everyone present.  Begin with a check-in by each person.
*       Review agenda and be clear about outcomes expected for each item, then 
ask
for appropriate modifications or additions to agenda.
*       Seek agreement about ending time and ask for patience required to end
meeting properly.
*       At various points during meeting summarize where things are and what
remains.
*       Make sure decisions are accurately recorded and read back to the group
immediately after the decision was made, "This is what we just decided or
agreed to."
*       Maintain focus on a single item.  Facilitator always knows where things
stand, if you are unclear ask for help--someone knows what's going on.
*       Periodically, describe what's going on or seek clarification of where we
now stand.
*       Encourage participation from people who are quiet.  Some people talk too
much while others are not active enough.  "Let's hear from someone who has
not yet spoken on this matter."
*       If the facilitator wishes to express his/her own viewpoint, announce 
that
you are stepping out of role for a brief moment to state your opinion.  Do
so, then return         to neutral stance as facilitator.
*       Test agreement or consensus, "If the decision is stated in this way, do 
we
have consensus?  (pause) This is the time for serious reservations or strong
objections to be heard."
*       Validate consensus by asking "does anyone see a reason why the 
proposal, as
it is now stated, is not in the best interests of the community?"
*       When people do stand in the way of consensus, they need to be heard and
understood, not won over or convinced.  They then may be challenged to hold
the best interests of the community.
*       If consensus is not possible, either delay the decision or if time 
requires
it, turn to agreed upon back-up decision-making process.