Book I:

Meetings Made Easy: The Ultimate Fix-It Guide

By: Frances Micale
INTRODUCTION: Three top reasons why meetings do not produce results: A. The group doesnt follow the agenda. B. There is no clear meeting objective. C. There is no participation. Staff meetings generate a lot of negative reactions. People complain that they occur too often, never begin or end on time, are dominated by the boss and are generally a waste of time. Consider holding staff meetings less frequently and keeping them on a tight schedule. This will force you to focus on the most important issues. Get a different person to conduct the meeting each time. Solicit ideas from the group on what should be discussed at each meeting.

Meetings serve two major functions: A. Sharing information - It requires the person conducting the meeting to take on a directive role, since the group is simply receiving information. - He or she directs the participants to action. - These are some types of information that might be presented: 1. The restructuring of an organization. 2. An assignment of new jobs or responsibilities. 3. An announcement of a decision made by the management. 4. A new policy. B. Making decisions - Meetings that focus on here have the m to be much more powerful. - Participants become more active and essential to running the organization. - They are not just presented information, they are asked to make decision together about something that affects the organization done by the guidance of the facilitator. The facilitator is the person designated to help the group make decisions, solve problems an develop and implement plans within the structure of a meeting. The facilitator should strive to create a comfortable atmosphere that encourages all members of the group to actively participate in discussions. The facilitator can also help coordinate that effort of the members after the meeting.

Book I:

Meetings Made Easy: The Ultimate Fix-It Guide

By: Frances Micale
The facilitators job continues even after the meeting ends. This is especially true when the facilitator is working with a group on a long term project. These are some of his or her responsibilities outside the meetings: Getting more resources for the group. Keeping senior managers and others are informed Tracking results Establishing a strong business case for the groups work Coordinating activities as directed by the group.

Effective facilitation is a key factor in helping people realize that they have to say and can make a difference. CHAPTER I: Not another Meeting! A. Preparing for the meeting 1. Create a meeting outcome statement. It is a statement of purpose that describes what the group must achieve. It identifies a concrete, specific and tangible outcome such as arriving at a decision, developing a solution, creating a list or designing a plan. It should be presented every time there is a meeting, to clarify the purpose of the gathering. It should be written before the meeting begins, posted during the meeting and constantly referred to throughout the session. 2. Write the agenda for the meeting. It is the road map used by the facilitator to chart the steps the group will follow to achieve intended outcome for the session. It should be posted and referred to during the meeting and can also be sent out ahead of time. How to develop a detailed agenda: a. Begin with writing down the intended outcome, the time scheduled for the meeting, the place and who will be attending the meeting. b. Limit the number of meeting participants to those who will contribute information or those who will be impacted by what is discussed in the meeting. c. The meeting agenda is divided into three columns What, Time and Who. - What is the topic to be discussed or the activity. - Time is the estimated of how much time will be needed for each agenda item. - Who is used to note the names of guest speakers or to indicate that someone other than facilitator will be making presentation.

Book I:

Meetings Made Easy: The Ultimate Fix-It Guide

By: Frances Micale
Meeting Preparation To Do List 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Identify problem/need/expectation. Develop a meeting outcome. Develop the agenda. Send out announcement of meeting. Book worm, refreshments and audiovisuals.

B. Beginning of the Meeting 1. Welcome the group and create a positive tone. a. Make any necessary introductions if any participants dont know each other. b. Make sure the participants know the location of restrooms and phones. c. Announce when the meeting will end and cover other logistical issues. d. Refer to any action items that should have taken place at a previous meeting. 2. Clarify intended outcome for the meeting. a. Read the posted outcome for the group. b. Describe any parameters surrounding the outcome and provide any useful background information. (Parameters are limits for the group including deadlines, budget constraints or consequences of the project at hand). c. Ask for questions to ensure that the participants understand the intended outcome. d. Refer to the intended outcome as the meeting progresses to keep the ground focused. e. Summarize which phase the group is currently focusing on if meeting is part of an ongoing project. 3. Settle role expectations. The participants should know what they are supposed to do to make the meeting a success. Participants Roles by Type of Meeting Information Sharing Decision Making (such as staff meetings, (such as solving a problem, announcing a new policy or creating a plan to implement procedure, presenting any a decision, addressing a information-director) business situation-facilitator) Receiver of information Decision maker or contributor of ideas

Participants Roles Meeting Leader

Meeting Participant

Book I:

Meetings Made Easy: The Ultimate Fix-It Guide

By: Frances Micale
Assigning Special Roles Avoid calling on people to take on certain roles. Asking for volunteers is much more effective and the comfort level of the person volunteering will be higher. Once, you have the volunteers you need, give each person a quick explanation of how to effectively carry out his or her duties.

4. Contract the ground roles. Develop ground rules to specify behaviors that will help make the meeting more successful such as: - Be on time. - Avoid interrupting others. - Participate! - Respect the opinion of others. - Do not engage in personal attacks. 5. Present and describe the meeting agenda items, so the participants know what will be happening during the session. C. The Body of the Meeting The body of the meeting is where the actual work toward the intended outcome takes place. Guide the group through each agenda step, one at a time. D. The End of the Meeting Discuss what was accomplished or decided during the session and revisit any unfinished business. - Reiterate any decision made or any progress toward the outcome. - Discuss ay issues that have not yet been resolved; ask the group members how they want to handle these issues. - Set the date, time and place for the next meeting. Verify action items. Praise or thank the participants for a job well done. After the meeting is over, the work is not: Follow up as necessary. Publish the results of the meeting. Evaluate the meetings effectiveness.

Book I:

Meetings Made Easy: The Ultimate Fix-It Guide

By: Frances Micale
CHAPTER II: I Thought I Knew How to Facilitate Facilitator someone who helps meeting participants work together to make decisions, develop plans and then implement those plans. Who Should Be a Facilitator? Choosing a facilitator requires careful consideration. The facilitator could be anyone: the group leader, the manager or a group member. However, the best person for the job is usually one who can take a neutral part in the groups work.

Content vs. Process Process refers to the way the group works together. Its how a group achieves its goal. - Brainstorm a list of desired items. - Clarify items on the list. - Eliminate from the list items that the group agrees are unnecessary. There are also process issues that involve behavior. Allow only one person to talk at a time. Be on time. Participate fully.

Content refers to the actual ideas, suggestions and decisions that come out of a group discussion. It is what a group does to achieve a goal. Content Neutral and Process Oriented The facilitator should show neutrality on all content issues through appropriate words, body language and voice tone. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The facilitator should write down all suggestions. The facilitator should always aloe group members to make the decision. The facilitator should live with the groups decision whatever it is. The facilitator should deal only with the meetings process issues and be process oriented. The facilitator is concerned of how the group is communicating, not by the ideas being discussed. 6. The facilitator is acting as a conductor in directing the flow of the conversation.

Book I:

Meetings Made Easy: The Ultimate Fix-It Guide

By: Frances Micale
7. The facilitator is ensuring the group members understand the ideas so that they will be able to accurately assess the ideas. Remaining Content - Neutral Accept all ideas Allow the group to make decisions. Live with all group decisions. Avoid influencing the group. Being Process Oriented Encourage participation Ensure that all ideas and statements are heard and understood. Enforce the ground rules. Focus on how the groups communicating.

Maintain the credibility as facilitator through: a. Explain at the beginning of the meeting that you have a stake in the decision and would like to give your input on a limited basis. Make sure the group is comfortable with this. b. Acknowledge your bias. c. Limit the number of times you give your opinions to only the most important issues. d. Involve yourself in the content of the meeting only to save the group unnecessary time and effort. REFLECTION: Practicing the fundamentals above in nursing administration will ensure that any meeting are on track and productive. Meetings are vital for management and communication. Properly run meetings save time, increase motivation, productivity, and solve problems. It creates new ideas and initiatives and it diffuse conflict in a way that emails and memos cannot. That's why meetings are so useful. To be a facilitator is a challenging task especially in the field of nursing. If ever one day, Ill be assigned to be a facilitator Ill be glad to accommodate the task and be prepared for it. Being a good facilitator is at the core of being a good leader. A strong leader facilitator is very motivating to his or her team and is able to create an environment where team members trust each other and are empowered to make decisions even in the absence of the leader.