Facilitating meetings effectively

Article icon

Abstract

What separates a productive meeting from an ineffectual one can often be the person facilitating the process. An effective meeting facilitator will involve everyone in the discussion, navigate the team forward, and build group consensus. This effective practice outlines responsibilities of the facilitator, recorder, and participants in a meeting. It is excerpted from the resource "Meeting Facilitation Tips" (adapted from material by Nicole Trimble) and shared by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation at the AmeriCorps Direct Best Practices Conference in Nashville, Tennessee in April 2005.

Back to top

Issue

Meetings are an opportune time to brainstorm new ideas, share information, and build team consensus. However, a meeting can fail to achieve its objectives if the facilitator does not guide the meeting forward or make everyone feel comfortable contributing to the discussion.

Back to top

Action

Identify a facilitator for the meeting. Let the facilitator know his/her responsibilities, which are to:
  • Remain content neutral by not contributing, judging, or evaluating ideas generated by the group
  • Listen actively to all group members
  • Seek agreement and understanding among group members by speaking effectively
  • Navigate the way by guiding the process toward desired outcomes
  • Seek involvement and participation from everyone
  • Help ensure group agreements and time specifications
Identify a recorder for the meeting. Let the recorder know his/her responsibilities, which are to:
  • Remain content neutral and not participate in the meeting
  • Create a visible, written record of the meeting
  • Write down the group's ideas by using direct quotes and not paraphrasing without permission
  • Ask the group to slow down if he or she needs more time
Having a skilled recorder document the meeting is very important to the success of the meeting and the success of the work of the group. The following are tips for recorders to assist them in making posters and charts that are easy to read and understand:
  • Title the posters
  • Alternate marker color with different earth tones (green, blue, purple, brown, black)
  • Highlight with light-colored markers (red, pink, yellow, orange)
  • Use bullets instead of numbering (*, Ο)
  • Use abbreviations (like ppl, grps, ldrshp)
  • Use symbols for words like money ($), up (↑­), down (↓)
  • Use spacing (white space between items)
Inform the group members of their responsibilities during the meeting, which are to:
  • Contribute ideas
  • Be open and honest with concerns
  • Actively listen to others
  • Commit to following the process and working by the agreements

Back to top

Context

The Local Initiatives Support Coalition, an AmeriCorps program in 10 cities nationwide, uses these facilitation tips during meetings with members and others.

Members serve in community development corporations to help promote volunteerism and civic engagement by encouraging neighbors to take active roles in helping to transform the communities in which they live.

Back to top

Citation

Jones, Pearl and Stacey Rapp. Meeting Facilitation Tips. Local Initiatives Support Corporation. April 19, 2005.

http://nationalserviceresources.org/filemanager/download/affinitygroups/C1/MeetingFacilitationTips.doc

Back to top

Outcome

Ensuring the meeting facilitator, recorder, and participants understood their responsibilities during the meeting helped the team be more productive and collaborative during its time together.

Back to top

Posted On

June 28, 2005

Back to top

For More Information

Pearl Jones
Local Initiatives Support Corporation AmeriCorps
Program Director
501 Seventh Avenue 7th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Phone: (212) 455-9324

Back to top

Resources

From The Resource Center library:

Death By Meeting

Item number: M2661

Training Skills for Managers

Item number: R0705

Source Documents

Related Practices

Back to top

Related sites

Topic Areas

Back to top