Review the entire list of ground rules and agree as a team to follow them to guide and improve the meeting process. Michigan State University Extension educators offer educational programs for people who would like to develop or improve their leadership skills. Ground rules also provide the structure that promotes the values of the company. Meeting Ground Rule #1: Stay in … Availability hours for contacting team members 4. Did you feel like a valuable member of the team? You can lead meetings and discussions without ground rules, but did you ever leave an unstructured meeting with a headache? Mediate and facilitate: keep track of who’s talking — and who’s not. Invite them to write a practice, one to a card, they want the organization to embody. You won't always need to set ground rules when you chair a meeting. I used to think that ground rules were necessary only when a group was dysfunctional or conflicted. The purpose is notto win an argument, but to hear many points of view and explore many options and solutions. However, if team meetings are allowed to run without ground rules or agendas, the meetings can actually be detrimental to the practice. The version below is adapted from Eric Law’s original version. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu/ or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464). Both uphold inclusion.  Each person should also be prepared with some ideas for solutions to the problem. The main aim of a … I have used them, and adaptations, in countless settings. Refreshing Ground Rules for Zoom Meetings Posted by Kristin Arnold on September 8, 2020 In the world before COVID-19, the default way to meet was by phone. Establishing meeting guidelines and ground rules will lay the framework for positive personal interaction and better group decisions. Ground rules detail the code of conduct for a meeting and the team, explaining the behavior that's expected of all participants. Among them is the power of starting out with an agreed upon set of meeting ground rules. 4. Invite sharing until all ideas are heard. Take a break for perhaps 15 minutes, … Editing will come later. We will seek the perspectives of all by inviting each person to speak. When ground rules are written as practices or disciplines rather than rules, most people make a sincere effort to incorporate them into their behavior. We adopt these ground rules as our shared commitment to doing great work in meetings. But there are times when you will need them. Set expectations: Let people know how you want them to behave (i.e one speaker at a time) and outline any ground rules. P = PONDER what you hear and feel before you speak. R = take RESPONSIBILITY for what you say and feel without blaming others. Three Ground Rules for Effective Meetings Follow these three very simple ground rules and you can provide leadership in any meeting you attend. 8 Ground Rules for All Team Meetings: 5 Steps to Initiate Ground Rules Before your meeting, be prepared to write ground rules on a flip chart, white board, or somewhere that everyone can see. Meeting facilitators will invite those who have not spoken to speak. In that vein, the following “Meeting Etiquette Rules” are submitted. Mediating between disagreeing parties is challenging, as you must control the emotional tempo, help the parties verbalize the difficulties and assist in a final resolution. Sprinkle in Elements of Fun or Surprise. 3. When meeting attendees review these core values and practices at each meeting and commit to them, group behavior becomes more empathic, responsible, and appreciative of differences. “In small meetings, if you go more than five minutes without giving others the chance to speak, ask questions, add input on chat or whatever, they are going to start tuning out.” Meetings can take place in person, over the phone or online. Simply ask each committee or board member for one ground rule that they believe is important to follow to help make meetings more productive. Respect each other’s’ thinking and value everyone’s contributions. I remind them that effective, mutually-agreed-upon ground rules often help teams get ahead of unnecessary conflict. 2. * Sample Ground Rules for a Facilitated Discussion (The HR Toolkit)  One Person speaks at a time and identifies the issues that are important for him or her to discuss as well as what he or she views the conflict to be. Facilitating countless strategic planning meetings has taught me many positive lessons. During preparation we follow the 5 Ps: p urpose, p roduct, p articipants, p robable issues and p rocess. Stay open to new ways of doing things, and listen for the future to emerge. No one or two individuals should dominate a discussion. The image to the right is a jpg. Mar 31, 2019 - Best practice ground rules for meetings. People with back-to-back meetings can also arrive early and be ready.) Team meetings are irreplaceable if a practice is to ever reach its full potential. Encourage "I" statements throughout. Team Meeting Ground Rules. Think of the meetings you have participated in over the past year. Write these on a flip-chart pad so that everyone can see the list. Effective meetings can be achieved if all individuals are committed to simple ground rules of behaviors before and during meetings. Leaders, refrain from jumping right into the tactics. The wording does not have to be precise at this stage. It is usually best for this to happen at the group’s first meeting. Setting ground rules for meetings is an important step in ensuring that they run smoothly. State ground rules up front and make sure they explicitly foster inclusion. We will not interrupt. It does not tell why or even how to behave. emotional and moral support for one another. Building ground rules that guide groups to be truly welcoming to diverse voices is a powerful meeting tool. Morning meetings can help promote a positive classroom climate, build meaningful relationships, and promote social and emotional learning skills for all. Nov 22, 2016 - Run effective and easy meetings with Solid. The second statement tells you how to be inclusive, not only that you should. Click it to view the larger version and download it. Failed to subscribe, please contact admin. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. Ground rules are more than a list of shoulds and oughts. 1. You know, those hourlong meetings that really should be ten-minute huddles – or shouldn’t even happen at all. So many people are on video calls all day right now, so … The African American women, persons who identified as Muslim, and the persons with disabilities were largely ignored. Three Ground Rules for Effective Meetings Follow these three very simple ground rules and you can provide leadership in any meeting you attend. Everyone is encouraged to participate.You may be asked to share what you think, or we may ask for comments from those who haven't spoken. Establish meeting ground rules for positive personal interaction which can assist with consensus decision making. Furthermore, it gives a specific instruction on how to use I statements. Enroll a group of people in embracing them, and you can together transform every meeting you have together. Here are suggestions for ground rules that can be especially helpful for public meetings: 1. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. Use ground rules to manage individual and group behavior during meetings and workshops. Granted, the process can be laborious and protracted. (1) Creating ground rules is a 5-10 minute investment resulting in engaged, productive, and more effective meetings. Introduction and initial sharing-everyone joins in b. No one or two individuals should dominate a discus… If you haven’t established ground rules for your remote team’s virtual meetings (or if your rules need an update), here’s how to get started. Ideally, ground rules are created and agreed to by the people participating in the meeting, because groups more easily accept and abide by rules they've set themselves. Enroll a group of people in embracing them, and you can together transform every meeting you have together. This is a public discussion, not a debate. When the facilitator explains ground rules at the start of a meeting that provides a perfect opportunity for the facilitator to explain his or her philosophy, style, and general expectations for the meeting. The purpose is notto win an argument, but to hear many points of view and explore many options and solutions. Bring a smile. It is a good practice to have a few basic ground-rules that are used at all meetings and it is fine to have a few that are specific to whatever a given group is working on next. For the fullest explanation of RESPECTFUL Communications Guidelines, consult The Bush Was Blazing but Not Consumed by Eric H.F. Law. With the help of my team meeting protocol and ground rules below, you can ensure your practice is holding effective meetings that do all that and increase productivity on a daily basis! Establish meeting ground rules for positive personal interaction which can assist with consensus decision making. Each team member speaks for him/herself only 8. 2. Ground rules, or rules of engagement, are typically discussed and agreed to early during the formation of a team. Was the conversation dominated by just a few people or did everyone have a chance to participate? Get people excited: Explain why this meeting is important and what participants will contribute and/or get out of it. Meeting these expectations will build trust and improve accountability. Active listening and ask clarifying questions – disagreement is ok but be considerat… Meeting Ground Rule #1: Stay in One Conversation My personal bent is for all ground rules to be based on the principle of honor of each other. Ground rules are guidelines that meeting participants are expected to keep in mind; expected to follow during the meeting. Give each member of the group five postcards. Here’re 7 ground rules for dealing with interpersonal conflict at … The meeting (usually 90 minutes long) is divided into the following three parts: a. How do you establish these meeting rules? Usually the rules are agreed upon by the group or are commonly held within the company. Ground rules detail the code of conduct for a meeting, explaining the behavior that's expected of all meeting participants. In the event that one or more students try to draw the instructor into an emotional response, the ground rules for discussion can play a vital role, and the instructor can model constructive behavior in demonstrating how to unpack such a heated moment by reviewing what had led up to it, in pointing out differences between baiting, debating, and discussing, and/or steering the discussion into a more … Refer to the ground rules at the beginning of each team meeting, during the critique, and during a team intervention. Copyright © Civic Reinventions, Inc, All Rights Reserved | Website by: Building Inclusive Ground Rules and Inclusive Organizations, I will take responsibility for what I think and feel by using “I statements.”. We agree to take turns speaking and to try to not interrupt each other. Get the meeting agenda, tasks & decisions instantly in your mailbox. Ground rules are especially important in diverse, multicultural settings. Scolding people is not the point. The best ground rules engage all participants in their creation. Team ground rules should be created and agreed to by everyone in the team together, because groups more easily accept and abide by rules they've set themselves. Only the latter embodies it in a way that is practical and concrete. Use ground rules to help manage individual and group behavior during meetings and workshops. But meetings aren’t always necessary. Did you feel like a valuable member of the team? Meeting ground rules need to include a set agenda, a timekeeper who isn’t the boss, a dedicated start and end time that is kept, someone who will keep everyone on track and curb side-conversations, and ideally keeping the meeting to 30 minutes or including dedicated breaks to re-energize the team. Nevertheless, three white women and two white men dominated the first meeting. (Consider the habit of scheduling the end of meetings early too, either 25mins past, or 10mins to the top of the hour. The nine ground rules (one per team member plus the manager) were: 1. Record on a flip chart or white board. Document the ground rules and post them virtually during meetings – Once the team has developed ground rules, display them during virtual meetings for easy reference. 8 killer ground rules for meetings. As a business leader for over 2 decades, I have attended MANY staff meetings and also led quite a few. After several meetings with similar dynamics, more than half the members dropped out. Turn OFF the microphone in meetings of more than three people. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. Basic Ground Rules. Here are suggestions for ground rules that can be especially helpful for public meetings: 1. See also https://www.kscopeinstitute.org/. Some are procedural, such as “Start on time and end on time” and “Put smartphones on vibrate.” Procedural ground rules are … Some were great, but many were not, so in my quest to improve mine, I started to look into meeting ground rules for facilitators to see how I could improve mine. It is always OK to "pass" when you are asked to share a comment. PROPOSED MEETING ETIQUETTE RULES Appropriate etiquette meeting behavior reflects respect for self, others and the AMHE. The second version contains a core value: taking responsibility. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464). Step 3: Staff the Meeting for Maximum Contact Emotional meetings should be attended by at least two people, one who speaks and answers questions and one who will “staff” the presenter by: Copyright © 2019 Mark Smutny and Civic Reinventions, Inc. All rights reserved. Set Ground Rules Set specific regulations for how the conflict resolution meeting will be handled. Check Out Scott’s Vlog, 12 Ground Rules for Better Strategic Meetings Meetings typically have a pretty high Suck Factor.Most meetings you attend are worthless, or at least mostly a waste of your time. Another adage my wise advisors tell me: It is always OK to "pass" when you are asked to share a comment. meeting to be posted on your website and be provided to your opposition. Think of the meetings you have participated in over the past year. 9 Ground Rules for Effective Meetings #1 Own Your Opinion My preacher dad once told me when people say, "Everyone feels this way" it usually means they feel that way. Setting ground rules is part of setting expectations for team performance. Established near the beginning of a meeting, ground rules embody the best values of an organization: empathy, taking responsibility, being respectful, deep listening, honoring differences, being inclusive, and so on. Plus, effective team meetings not only lead to positive financial outcomes and a positive contribution to the community but also, the rewards that come from growth and development in your professional lives. Adopting a few ground rules such as the following would have helped immensely: I am indebted to Eric Law and Lucky Lynch of the Kaleidoscope Institute, a faith-based multicultural training program affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, for ways to understand and communicate inclusively in multicultural settings. Establishing meeting guidelines and ground rules will lay the framework for positive personal interaction and better group decisions. 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