Great Meetings and

Facilitation

Some tricks of the trade for the NJCC VISTAs

Great Meetings

How will you plan and lead

them – and enhance the mission and

impact of your efforts?

An effective meeting…

1.Has a clear purpose (intended outcomes)! 2.Has an plan and agenda (to meet purpose and manage

the participation of the group)

3.Clearly conveys the purpose and the process

4.Helps people feel comfortable, welcome, and engaged

5.Gets something accomplished!

There are many strategies for this!

Shared Vision

Build Collaboration

Plan & carry out events & programs

Co-construct

knowledge

agenda

Date, Time, Place • People

Big Idea or Progress Tracker

Goals or intended outcomes • 1

• 2

• 3

Activities I. 2. 3. 4.

Upcoming Dates and Next Steps

Let’s look at four types!

CreATE A ReAL AGENDA

Date, Time, Place • People

Goals or intended outcomes • “A shared understanding of the benefits of

participating in the collaborative”

• “Agreement on the key gaps for homeless individuals

in the city in accessing job training”

• “A decision and action plan in how to deliver high

quality services while cutting the budget by 10%”

• “A research plan that will inform the creation of a

new campaign to target teen drug addiction”

Consider and draft some outcomes now!

Two kinds of outcomes

knowledge • awareness of…so

that… • understanding

of..so that…

products • list • plan • decision • agreement

Brief written statements

From the perspective of

the participant!

Specific & measurable

SHARE AND

OFFER

FEEDBACK

In small groups, share your intended outcomes.

Goals or intended outcomes • 1

• 2

• 3

mentoring collaborative

Rutgers-Camden, November 1, 2016 Facilitated by Jenni Jones, Rutgers-Camden VISTA

Tony Rivera, Boys &Girls Club Sam Smith, Big Brothers Big Sisters

Joanne Love, Faculty

Goals or intended outcomes • Introduce each of our organization’s approach and assets

• Discuss hopes for the collaboration

• Build a sense of teamwork and trust

Activities I. Warm Up: Moments of Commitment

II. Presentations • Boys &Girls Club • Big Brothers Big Sisters • Mentoring Course

III. Reflection and Discussion (using article about mentoring models)

Initial meetings might be designed

to purposefully build

relationships.

Share program models and clarify what they have in

common.

Use frameworks to build

understanding.

Build Collaboration

literacy PROGRAM TEAM

Our Office, October 15 1, 2016 Cris, Jodi, Paula, Petra, and Zach

Representing 5 campus organizations and departments

Goals or intended outcomes • Share more about each of our program’s work

• Analyze how they approach the issue and how they fit into a larger

theory of change about effective literacy programs

• Discuss gaps in our services and what to do

Activities

I. Short synopsis of the literacy framework (guest presenter)

2. Individual and Group SWOT Analysis of Our Work a. strengths b. weaknesses c. opportunities d. threats

3. Group Discussion: Gaps and Opportunities 4. Setting Concrete Goals and next steps

In these meetings, you

might use a framework,

article, focus questions or

other ways to have

participants learn from each

other and together.

Co-construct

knowledge & goals

campus kitchens

launch team

Our University, November 15, 2016 Anna, Joe, Maribel, Priya, Tomas

$18,000 raised! 60% there! • 2 weeks to go!

Goals or intended outcomes • Get our launch event ready!

• Discuss our communication strategy.

Reports and Walk Through I. Overview of progress to date (Maribel) 2. Logistics Committee report (Tomas) 3. Public Relations Committee report (Anna) 4. Programming Walk Through (Joe and Priya) 5. Day of Event Communication Plan Discussion

• Meet next Friday at 3 pm

• Bring your friends and be ready to prep registration!

Engage leaders and managers

of specific roles and tasks

Delegate reporting

Integrative walk through

Plan & carry out events & programs

A shared vision meeting

requires time and facilitation

Lay out a process to

integrate info and gradually create a plan.

achieve

city of trenton healthy

foods coalition

Office of the Mayor, November 1, 2016 Facilitated by Jo Rodriguez, TCNJ VISTA

Campus Kitchens, Department of Health and Human Services, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Shop Rite, Trenton Policy Prevention Board

Goals or intended outcomes • Craft a shared vision for the upcoming month’s work as a coalition

• Begin to articulate goals for service delivery and policy change

Activities I. Synopsis and discussion of the city task force report

2. Review of the recommendations and options (from survey)

3. Facilitated goal setting activity

Upcoming Dates and Next Steps • Drafted goals will be voted on next week

• In 2 weeks, we’ll finalize and wordsmith in our meeting

(see Bonner Curriculum for GUIDES!)

Shared Vision

(Facilitative) Leader

Team Member

Notetaker

work on your

agenda

1. List the intended outcomes

2. Identity and sequence topics to reach outcomes

3. Select or create a process 4. Calculate time needed for

each topic/process 5. Identify lead person for

each topic

let’s discuss

Neutral facilitator

do you need

to clarify

roles?

great facilitation

is the art of small agreements

What Facilitators Do…

➤manage the process of dialogue, learning, or decision making involving a group

➤ encourage participation ➤ set a tone and maintain focus ➤workshop; meeting; conflict resolution

Setting the Stage…!Present basic information

"Who you are "Context "Desired outcomes or goals "How goals fit into larger process "Overview of the agenda/outline

!Clarify if necessary: "Does anyone have questions? "Does this make sense to everyone?

!Check for agreement: "Look for cues "Make eye contact

OpenOpen consideration of a topic through open-ended

activities (brainstorm, questions, etc.

NarrowUse a process to narrow the

information and considerations.

Close. Reach closure or transition

(e.g. next steps for process).

The Flow…You are running a meeting or navigating a conversation: !First you might set out the question or issue

(like clarifying an outcome) in the context of a conversation or meeting.

!And you might open it up or guide it with a few constraints or details.

!Then, you might focus in a bit, clarifying the process, resources, and constraints.

!Then, bring the process to a close or transition of some kind.

The Flow…!“Today, we’ll discuss what workshops should we

have for our annual training? We only have space and time for three sessions.”

!“Our survey identified 20 potential topics, with 7 as most desired. As managers, this group also has preferences.”

!“We need to decide what is most important. Also, our budget for speakers is limited.”

!“We’ll prioritize your input, incorporate some insights from the survey, and narrow down to the top 6 choices today.”

Clarify the process…

When starting a new item or segment: ! Clearly state the content of the next segment

or step and desired outcomes. ! Clearly present the process. Use concise,

straightforward language. ! Clarify if necessary. Ask for questions. ! Check for agreement. ! If there is disagreement or confusion, look for

small agreements.

Open๏Brainstorm ๏ List ๏ Survey ๏Review ideas ๏Once Around (Hear from each participant) ๏NOSTUESO ๏Open-ended Questions

Narrow๏Material, time/urgency, resource (budget)

constraints ๏ Polling or Prioritizing Technique ๏Eliminate duplicates ๏Voting ๏Consensus process (if agreed on as

decision-making approach)

Close๏Negative poll ๏Decision - Prioritizing Technique or Voting ๏Combine and build agreements until goal

is reached ๏Define next steps for decision (e.g. “Okay

we have three possibilities to research – let’s come back next week with the information and we’ll decide based on that”)

Scenarios

AnalyzeAlternatives?Role Play

Freeze/SwitchDiscuss

Bag of TricksPlus/Delta

fist of five

once around

the funnel most interesting thing

Back on Trackboomerang

grounding in the ground rules

where are we

affirm then defer

whats going on

Facilitative Leadership

Lead • er a person who has commanding authority or influence

Fa • cil • i • tate to make easier

Facilitative Leaders empower others to work together to achieve common goals. They make it easier for people to: • Contribute their ideas and expertise • Speak up when they have problems • Work with others • Make and implement decisions • Achieve high-quality results

Facilitative Leaders Balance

Coach Guides others towards improved performance, self-awareness, and full potential

Team Leader Manages the process by which a team accomplishes its goals and tasks

Change Agent Encourages continuous improvement of the organization and systems

Eight Practices

Celebrate Accomplishment

Team Leader

Share an Inspiring Vision

Focus on Results,

Process, & Relationship

Seek Maximum

Appropriate Involvement

Model Actions that Facilitate Collaboration

Design Pathways

to Action

Bring Out the Best in Others

Build the

Clock

Change Agent

Coach

Share an Inspiring Vision Create and community an image of the future and get others engaged in its pursuit. Keep the mission out

front.

Focus on Results, Process, Relationships

Build a framework for performance and satisfaction that balances what gets done, the way it happens, and

how people treat each other.

Seek Maximum Appropriate Involvement

Leverage the talent & interests of others around you by including

them appropriately in the decision-making process. Work to increase

trust and commitment through engagement.

Model Actions that Facilitate Collaboration

Encourage diversity of opinion and honor individual perspectives. Help team members stay focused on task

at hand through modeling.

Design Pathways to Action Guid others in planning how to

solve problems and realize opportunities. Help people see

alternatives when implementing a plan. Provide a roadmap.

Bring Out the Best in Others Coach individuals to do their best.

Listen as an ally. Support the expression of others’ ideas and

aspirations. Seek out the best in oneself. Work to overcome

obstacles.

Celebrate Accomplishment Seize the moment to celebrate small successes. Acknowledge individuals

and teams for their contributions. Provide authentic praise.

Build the Clock Build systems, talent, and structures

so that the work can continue (perhaps even better) when you are

gone. Nurture new leadership.

Personal Development PlanWhere I’m strongest...

Where I need to grow...

Balancing Results, Process, and Relationships

We got the job done!

Focus on Results,

Process, & Relationship

But things were

confusing from the

beginning...

...and people didn’t really listen to me.

Results

Focus on Results,

Process, & Relationship

RelationshipsDo team members/

colleagues feel supported? Do team members/

colleagues feel valued? Do I trust others and feel

valued?

ProcessWas the process

inclusive? Was the process clear/

transparent? Is/was the process

appropriate to the task and context?

Were the results high-quality? Did it get done on time?

Was your organization/those involved satisfied?

FacilitationOutcomes/Goals

Relationships

/DynamicsThe facilitator has to be aware of and observant

about the individuals’ and group’s behavior and

participation, attempting to reaffirm and trust

participants’ contributions

Process/How

The facilitator is concerned about how to

get to the aim, paying attention to the quality of the process, its flow,

and its efficiency.

The facilitator is attempting to get to a particular outcome or end.

This is usually a goal or aim.

Take 2: Seek Maximum Appropriate Involvement

Level of involvement

Seek Maximum

Appropriate Involvement

Time and Other Constraints

Decide & announce

Gather input from individuals & decide

Gather input from team & decide

UseConsensus

Delegate decision with constraints

Approach Advantages/Uses Disadvantages/Misuses Keys to Success

Delegate decision with

constraints

• Frees leader up for other work. • Minimizes underming of the

decision. • Develops leadership capacity

•Team may not have the skills, experience, or perspective to make informed decision.

•May take more time. •Team may take on extraneous issues

(drift).

• Explain how people will be involved. • Explain rationale and constraints (i.e., time, costs). • Build in milestones for process and content checks. • Be available for questions.

UseConsensus

• Educates through active participation.

• High level of support for decision. • Implementation can be quicker, due

to higher buy-in.

•May take more time, demand better facilitation.

•Team members may not have collaborative skills to agree.

•People may interpret leader’s choice of consensus as weakness.

• Explain what consensus means in the given situation and why you chose this mode.

• Outline contraints, including time and money/resources.

• Identify a fallback level if consensus cannot be reached.

Gather input from

team & decide

• More creative thinking because of group synergy.

• Increased likelihood of well-informed decision.

• People feel included and may be more committed to implement.

•Takes more time; requires some management of process.

•May surface issues or conflicts, at times disruptive.

• If resulting decision is in conflict with input, people may sabotage implementation.

• Explain how people with be involved in decision making and the rationale of the approach.

• Set guidelines for the type of involvement & input. • Set a time limit for the decision and results.

Gather input from individuals

& decide

• More relevant (differentiated) information for decision.

• Increased likelihood that decision will be carried out.

• Doesn’t require a meeting or involvement of all players.

•Some players may feel arbitrarily excluded or may not feel process was as collaborative.

• If decision is in conflict with input, players may undermine decision or be less likely to implement well.

• Explain how people with be involved in decision making and the rationale of the approach.

• Explain what considerations or criteria you will use to make final decision (especially if input is not all considered equal).

• Be clear about type of input/info you need.

Decide & announce

• Decision can be made quickly and deal with situations requiring urgency or action.

• Leader is in immediate control. • Implementation can begin quickly.

•May not be or may be perceived as ill-informed, lack of process, or unfair.

•Those assigned to carry out may balk at implementation.

•Those affected may harbor resentment.

• Explain the context for the decision (i.e., constraints, factors) and announce the decision itself.

• Explain why you chose this approach.

Levels of Decision Making