Meeting Facilitation

Tips for Meeting Facilitation

 * Begin the meeting on time!
 * Identify a facilitator, note-taker, time-keeper and stack-taker for the meeting. Request a co-facilitator if desired.
 * Facilitator explains community agreements for meetings:
 * Time limits for meeting and agenda items
 * Tools for communication including hand signals and an explanation of stack
 * Explanation of the decision-making process
 * Time limits on individual comments
 * No personal attacks or interruptions
 * Start the meeting with a introductory go-round and icebreaker
 * Identify one thing that went well and one challenge from the week.
 * Compile an agenda and sort agenda items in order of priority.
 * Allow time for discussion of each agenda item; with the consent of the group determine whether:
 * More time should be allotted for discussion
 * A vote can be taken
 * Item should be tabled for future discussion / additional deliberation
 * At the one hour mark, check in to see if the group needs to take a break.

If you run into trouble, here are some things that may be helpful to consider:
8* Don't allow back and forths between two participants to dominate a discussion or agenda item: ask for input from others.
 * Ask questions to initiate discussion, as opposed to jumping directly into concerns.
 * When people are voicing concerns, ask them what can be done to meet their concern.
 * Listen for agreement and note it, no matter how small. This both builds moral and helps clarify where the group is at.
 * Reflect back what you're hearing. Practice synthesizing and summarizing.
 * Break big decisions into smaller pieces.

''[credit: Thanks to Aorta Collective http://aortacollective.org/ from whom we poached several of these ideas! ] ''