Running Great Collaborative Meetings (4 hour)

Exercise!

What's in it for you?

Choose a facilitator

S/he reads through the very scripted exercise for a minute

Begin!

• Purpose/Agenda

• Techniques for engagement

• Retrospectives

The world is changing

Collaboration isn't always easy

To be on a great team, you need to have great collaboration

Aligned, engaged, happier teams

Why do we run collaborative meetings?

How do we open a collaborative meeting?

Opening

• Purpose
• Agenda
• Facilitation tools
  • Parking lot
  • Meeting intentions
  • Action and Communication plans
  • Decision board
  • Definition of consensus
• Other
  • Scope of Authority
  • WIIFM (the group)
  • Other announcements

What collaboration challenges do we face?

Facilitator Characteristics

How we create

Purpose

A high-level statement of what you'll have accomplished at the end of a meeting

What you're asking your audience to do

Action and decision-oriented

Once met, the meeting is done

 

*use action verbs, like to decide, to choose, to plan, to adjust, etc.

Example:

 

Annual strategy discussion

 

vs. 

 

To draft a one-page annual strategy statement that will guide our teams over the next year by reviewing last year's financials, customer trends and upcoming market opportunities.

Create your purpose

 

Choose a meeting you attend or run frequently that doesn't have a clear purpose.

 

Reminder:

A high-level statement of what you'll have accomplished at the end of a meeting

What you're asking your audience to do

Action and decision-oriented (to + verb)

Once met, the meeting is done

Agenda

What are the background questions the team must answer to create decisions and outputs?

 

What is the logical order for answering these questions to drive to the purpose?

 

Pro-tips: 

Write as questions

Brainstorm questions to be answered, then order

Create your agenda

 

Use the same meeting as your purpose statement. Create the agenda.

 

Pro-tips: 

Write as questions

Brainstorm questions to be answered, then order

Decide on your facilitation tools

Plan for a Collaborative Meeting

My prep:

• Owner
• What's the desired outcome (purpose)?
• Who's coming? Where are they? 
• What information is needed before or during the meeting to achieve its purpose?
• What do attendees think about the topic?
• What questions do we need to answer in what order?
• What space do we need to collaborate? 
• What tools will help us be more productive? 
• What "bombs need to be pre-detonated"? 

Life in the Groan Zone

Safe ways to address facilitation challenges?

Prepare

Prompt

Gather

Process

Sources of Conflict

Christopher Moore’s “The Mediation Process: Practical Strategies for Resolving Conflict”
 

Dysfunctional behavior

• Someone leaves the room
• Dominates the conversation
• Doesn't speak up in discussions
• Negative about the topic
• Side conversations
• Asleep
• Two people locking horns
• Personal attacks
• Attacks you as the facilitator!

 

How do we deal with it?

VIDEO

Lean Coffee

Partner up!

Share what you've learned

Closing a Meeting

Exercise: Retrospective

Great teams require great collaboration

Take one technique back with you this week

Each small act of constructive collaboration, strengthens teams,

 company culture

Practice, partner, persevere