Making Meetings Great The Art of Facilitation

Lesson Objectives –Given an argument between two meeting attendees, program participants will solve the problem in a manner that resolves the issue and abates any potential lasting effects. –Given split opinion among meeting attendees, program participants will apply outlined procedures to work towards a consensus without diminishing any opinions. –Given a group that is unruly or unfocused on the topic at hand, participants will regain control of the conversation and get the discussion back on track within a few minutes. –At the conclusion of a meeting, participants will review what conclusions have been reached without going over the predetermined time schedule. –After completing this lesson, participants will possess a newfound respect for facilitation skills and be attentive to the needs of meeting participants in future meetings.

What’s the facilitator’s role? “A facilitator plays a central role in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment, involving participants in the process, and promoting a “flow” that enables the group to achieve its goals. Facilitation is more about the how a group works together than the what or content of their work.” (Division of Aging and Adult Services, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 2004)

Facilitator Guidelines Stay as neutral as possible Know the audience Know the dynamics of the group process and how to handle challenging situations –More information about this in future slides. Use active listening skills –o Paraphrasing comments –o Observing body language –o Adjusting tone and pace as needed (Division of Aging and Adult Services, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 2004)

Facilitator Guidelines (contd) Keep the group energized and focused o Encourage thinking o Building consensus o Keeping everyone involve at the comfortable level Be comfortable with silence (American Heart Association) Never embarrass a participant or group Be genuine and natural (Division of Aging and Adult Services, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 2004)

Effective Meeting Facilitation Start with review of the goals, outcomes & agenda Keep the discussion focused Summarize points of agreement and agreed-upon next steps Get participants involved - –Question, pause, look around, restate question, allow for answers, select respondents –Ask a few easy questions – get a group response aloud –Ask them to guess –Handouts with questions, discuss answers as a group –Give people jobs (Eitington, 2002)

Prioritizing Group Decisions Post these definitions of priority on a flip chart: 1 = most importance or impact 2 = medium importance or impact 3 = low importance or impact Review the definitions with participants and ask them to assign a priority to the ideas under discussion Either ask for a show of hands and count the number of “1’s”, “2’s”, and “3’s” for each suggestion (to obtain a general consensus on priorities); or survey the group visually, looking for verbal and non-verbal signs of agreement or disagreement. (American Heart Association)

Moving Towards a Consensus To keep the discussion focused, identify areas of general agreement first and leave topics on which there are differences to the next discussion. Here is an example: After the group has identified several suggestions (e.g., for target population), poll the group for consensus for priority. (See above for tips on prioritization) Mark each item of general agreement with an identifying symbol (check mark). When you reach an item on which there is a substantial difference of opinion, say something like: “We’ll discuss this one in a few minutes since there seems to be a difference of opinion.” When you have reviewed all items on the list, return to the items on which there were differences of opinion. (American Heart Association)

Resolving Differences –Post a flip chart similar to the design below: »Pros = Reasons To Include; Cons = Reasons Not To Include –Refer to the flip chart, saying something like: “Let’s think of items on which there are different opinions.” –Then review the definitions of pros and cons. –If the differences of opinion are strong »Record the group’s responses on the flip chart so everyone can see the differences of opinion. »Ask attendees to assign a priority to each “Pro” and “Con”. (American Heart Association)

Handling the Problems Rambling discussions Off-the-point comments or discussions Raising topics that will be covered later One or a few dominating discussion Latecomers Arguments or clashes Side conversations (American Heart Association; Meeting Management Skills - PI/RA HR Management, 2007; Meeting Management Skills - PI/RA HR Management, 2007)

Evaluation and Wrap-Up People will often complain about a meeting being a complete waste of time -- but they only say so after the meeting. During the meeting - Get their feedback right away about the meeting so you can improve it Every couple of hours, conduct 5-10 minutes "satisfaction checks". O In a round-table approach, quickly have each participant indicate how they think the meeting is going. (Carter McNamara, 2008)

Evaluation and Wrap-Up (contd) At the end of the meeting - Leave 5-10 minutes at the end of the meeting to evaluate the meeting; don't skip this portion of the meeting. Have each member rank the meeting from 1-5, with 5 as the highest, and have each member explain their ranking –Have the chief executive rank the meeting last. –End meetings on time and attempt to end on a positive note. –Review actions and assignments –Set the time for the next meeting and ask each person if they can make it or not (to get their commitment) –Clarify that meeting minutes and/or actions will be reported back to members in at most a week (this helps to keep momentum going). –Highlight the goals and accomplishment & the contributions of the attendees (Carter McNamara, 2008)

References American Heart Association. (n.d.). Tips for Facilitating Effective Discussion. Retrieved July 6, 2009 from American Heart Association: Carter McNamara, M. P. (2008). Basic Guide to Conducting Effective Meetings. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from Free Management Library: org/misc/mtgmgmnt.htm#anchor Division of Aging and Adult Services, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. (2004, 18 August). Planning Basics - Guide for Developing Community Long-term Care Options. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from UNC School of Social Work: Eitington, J. (2002). The Winning Trainer. Massachusetts: Butterworth - Heinemann.