Meeting Strategies for Group Work

Planning and running a meeting

Steps that should be taken before a meeting happens:

• plan the meeting carefully: who, what, when, where, why, and how many

• prepare and send out an agenda, identifying issues to be discussed

• set up meeting room send out background information about members

Steps that should be taken during a meeting

• start on time

• make introductions of group members

• clearly define roles

• review, revise, and order the agenda

• set clear time limits

• review action items from previous meeting

• focus on one issue at a time

Steps that should be taken at the end of and after a meeting

• record final decisions or actions to be taken

• assign tasks to group members

• set deadlines for the tasks

• set the date and place of the next meeting and develop a preliminary agenda

• evaluate the meeting, get feedback from members

• close the meeting positively

• clean up the room

• prepare the group memo, distribute to members and others who need to know

Group roles

Different roles group members may play during a meeting:

• facilitator/leader

• timekeeper

• note taker

• expert

• mediator

• devil's advocate

• presenter

• progress chaser

Important tasks that should be performed by the facilitator of a meeting:

• encouraging participation

• summarizing input

• discouraging domination

• encouraging decision making

• keeping group focused

• making final decisions, if necessary

• clarifying ideas

• delegating roles and tasks

• providing feedback

• keeping the peace

• energizing group members

Skills that students need to develop to promote effective group work:

• active and tolerant listening

• communication skills

• flexibility

• accountability

• respect for others' contributions

• helping others to master content

• participation

• giving and receiving constructive feedback

• patience

• managing disagreements

• motivation

• keeping deadlines

Activities and tools that can be used in a group meeting for:

Opening discussion

• list available resources

• state different perceptions of what the real problem

• brainstorm ideas - all ideas are encouraged and accepted

• legitimize - show an understanding of how others see the problem

• kickstart with an example

• propose some potential solutions

• ask each individual for a possible solution

Narrowing down the solutions

• evaluate solutions using some criteria

• make sure solutions address the issues

• rank ideas in order of priority

• categorize solutions

• separate solutions based on "pros/cons"

• look for redundant and overlapping ideas

• force field analysis (what ideas give support to solving the problem? which ones prevent reaching a solution?)

Closing the discussion

• majority voting

• consensus

• build up/eliminate (add or subtract from different options to arrive at a new option that everyone can support)

• combine ideas (avoid either/or decisions)