1. Meeting Mechanics

2. Working as a Team Schedule time Make an agenda Complete an action plan
Follow up on the action plan
Share tasks

3. Setting the Stage for Meeting Efficiency Working Agreements
Physical Environment and Materials
Team Guidelines / Principles
Professional Accountability
Time is defined. Goal/Purpose of the meeting is established. Team members who need to be there are invited. Ground rules, Group norms are established.
Professional accountability – you come to the meeting, stay for the duration of the meeting, follow through on what you say you are going to do, respectful of the group established norms.

4. Time KeeperPr Student Focus Meeting Time Keeper Guidelines
Attendance and Roles:
Calendar and Information:
Follow Up:
New Items:
Brainstorming/Idea Generation

5. Student Focus Meeting Agenda
Team:
A group of people who all collaborate to achieve a common goal by contributing their individual strengths/expertise and being open-minded to the ideas of others.
Student Focus Meeting Agenda
Date:
Attendance:
Roles:
Facilitator:
Note-Taker:
Time Keeper:
Calendar:
Information:
IEP Schedule:
Student:
PreIEP Date
IEP Date
Due Date
Start on Time and End on time.
Members stay the duration of the meeting.
Rotate leadership roles – others? Meeting coordinator
We do not stop the meeting to update tardy members
Ground rules are established and a safe environment has been created to call each other out. Ex: obstacles prior to implementation variables
A structured agenda
Data drives decision-making
Multiple perspectives are considered
Everyone is accountable for the outcome – no more blaming the person who came up with the idea, the whole team can celebrate successes.
Interventions that are implemented are evidence based.
All team members walk away with notes to reference
Action plans are evenly distributed.

6. All ideas are good ideas Role rotate Stick to the topic Be respectful
Follow Up
Task & Action Plan:
Person Responsible
Outcome
New Action Items
Tasks & Action Plan
Person Responsible
Follow up
Meeting Norms:
All ideas are good ideas
Role rotate
Stick to the topic
Be respectful
Follow through

7. Individually: Write on a post-it note: 2 Ineffective Meeting Practices 2 Effective Meeting Practices

8. As a team: Identify common themes: Ineffective Team Meetings Effective Team Meetings

9. Evaluating Effectiveness of Team Meetings… Are We a Well Functioning Team?

10. When to use Meeting Mechanics…
Weekly Team Meetings
Ancillary/Teacher
Para-educator
Building/Child Study
Student Problem Solving
IEPs
Others? Am I missing anything?

11. Items you will need… Meeting Mechanics Manual & Sticky Notes
Action Plans as a team throughout the next __ days.

12. Everything you need…
Printable everything in the binder

13. Guiding Principles

14. Guiding Principles Talk to the board
Professional Role Elimination
The best idea stays on the table until a better one is developed
All ideas are
good ideas
TAKE
OFF
YOUR
HAT
Focus on developing the best idea in the room
Talk to the board
DON’T explain
DON’T defend
DON’T convince

16. ABC – tool that helps us better organize the idea.

17. 6 Steps of Problem Solving…

18. Magnetic… Posting Guidelines and 6 Steps

21. This module is typically referred to as Meeting Mechanics
This module is typically referred to as Meeting Mechanics. Although it is the meat of the material we will review today, it is only a ¼ of the infrastructure for teaming.
Meeting Mechanics is when we follow an effective meeting structure to develop and protect the idea in the room.
ABC Paradigm is a tool in which we can better organize the idea. You may be most familiar with this when we talk about behaviors. “A” refers to the antecedent/proactive strategies/variables “B” is the behavior or the identified problem along with specific information that defines the behavior/problem.
The Learning Hierarchy – is the idea that we will leave the meeting with the best idea on the table and just because the problem didn’t go away between week 1 and 2 doesn’t mean we can throw out the plan. We will need to continue with the best idea in the room.
Team Process – shows how we function as a team to implement the team derived idea.

25. Explore and Discuss with Team

26. MEETING MECHANICS: Develop and Protect the Idea
Assign
Responsibilities
Problem
Identification
Implementation
Variables
Problem
Specification
Brainstorm
Cluster/
Prioritize

27. PRACTICE at your table Select Facilitator Problem Identification
Problem Specific
You have 3 minutes Brainstorm

28. Perspectives Considered Do we have a problem worth working on?
MEETING MECHANICS pt. 2
Problem
Identification
Assign
Responsibilities
Open Ended
Group Developed
Perspectives Considered
Gaining Consensus
Do we have a problem worth working on?
Problem
Specification
Implementation
Variables
Brainstorm

30. Operational Definitions Distinguish Problems from Variables
MEETING MECHANICS pt. 3
Problem
Identification
Assign
Responsibilities
Generic to Specific
Operational Definitions
Data Analysis
Antecedent Variables
Distinguish Problems from Variables
Do we have enough information about the problem to try to solve the problem.
Yes / No
Problem
Specification
Implementation
Variables
Brainstorm
Cluster/
Prioritize

32. MEETING MECHANICS pt. 4 Problem Identification Assign Responsibilities
Facilitator
Time Frame
All Ideas of Good Ideas
Board Driven
Channeling
Democratize
Co-existence of Ideas
Problem
Specification
Implementation
Variables
Brainstorm
Cluster/
Prioritize

33. Brainstorming/Idea Generation
It’s a team practice.
It will not begin perfect.
Own your verbal AND nonverbal communication.
Model and maintain a safe climate.
Do a self-study….Do any my team members know if I disagree or agree with an idea of another?
We want everyone at the table despite level of expertise or roles to feel comfortable sharing ideas that come to mind. The reason we leave our roles out of brainstorming is so we can generate ideas that we wouldn’t have otherwise. In brainstorming it is ok for the OT to come up with an idea about the student’s communication system, etc.

34. Personal Practice Are your thoughts open-minded?
Did you already decide what needs to happen?
Are you creating ways to build a case?
Did you verbally agree or disagree with an idea?
Did you non-verbally agree or disagree with an idea?
Are there one or more team members that secretly know your opinion by means of your subtle non-verbal communication?
Non-verbally agree or disagree with an idea? Head nodding, eye contact/glare, breath, posture... Lots of ways to give information. Not to mention the way your body faces usually determines who you are on board with. Kelly and Amy can get into the psychology of the way your feet face, who your legs are crossed towards…. These are just my observations. This becomes really challenging when you have worked for many years with someone. I have work with a good friend Robin for several years. Even though no one else in the room can tell, I know when she disagreed or agreed with an idea. This is something we had to practice and point out to each other. Because I don’t want to know when she agrees or disagrees during brainstorming. I don’t even have to look at her directly. I can tell by the rate of her breath after an idea, (deep breath in shocked by the idea, in/out she didn’t 100% agree with it, but it was workable, just out sound… I give up. Now if she for a slight moment relaxed her shoulders then she agreed. Sitting on hands.

36. Prioritize Ideas Through Sequencing
MEETING MECHANICS pt. 5
Problem
Identification
Assign
Responsibilities
Clarify Ideas
Cluster Similar Ideas
Idea Dependency
Prioritize Ideas Through Sequencing
Problem
Specification
Implementation
Variables
Brainstorm
Cluster/
Prioritize

38. Overcoming Restraining Variables
MEETING MECHANICS pt. 6
Problem
Identification
Assign
Responsibilities
Problem
Specification
Implementation
Variables
Resources Needed
Overcoming Restraining Variables
Brainstorm
Cluster/
Prioritize

40. Academic, Behavior, Social
MEETING MECHANICS pt. 7
Problem
Identification
Assign
Responsibilities
Implementation
Variables
Team Process
Role and Functions
Academic, Behavior, Social
Problem
Specification
Brainstorm
Cluster/
Prioritize

41. TEAM PROCESS: Execute the Idea
BEHAVIOR
Caseload Teacher AND Psychologist
SOCIAL
Caseload Teacher AND Social Worker
ACADEMIC
Caseload Teacher AND SLP

42. Assigning Responsibility From VISION to ACTION
Behavior Support for Students with ASD Module Training Guide; AY
SECTION 8
Implementation & Evaluation
Slide Summary
Section 8 Time Estimate: 45 minutes
This Slide:
Implementation Variables & Assign Responsibility
CONTENT slide
Key Concepts
Discuss variables necessary for putting a behavior plan into place. Give examples from your own experience for each implementation variable area.
Highlight the importance of never leaving a meeting without an action plan (assigning responsibilities).
Training Activities
Have participants come up with other examples
Materials Needed
Autism Education Center; Grand Valley State University ©2004 All Rights Reserved

44. Protect the integrity of the team.
When a plan is developed and the meeting is over…
Eliminate opinion discussions
Implement the Action Plan
Bring new ideas and data for changes to the next meeting
How are “need to know” members who were absent able to catch up on the notes?
Follow up the next week on the action plan items. Hold each other accountable.
Follow up will determine the effectiveness of the plan.