Meetings and facilitation skills

Insert name of presenter

Some facts about meetings…

• CEOs – 17 hours per week• Senior managers – 23 hours per week• Middle managers – 11 hours per week

• Senior and middle managers say only 56% of meetings are productive

Wharton Centre for Applied Research

Aims of session

• To improve your skills for facilitating, chairing and attending meetings.

• To explore some principles of working with large and small groups.

• To learn some skills, tools and techniques for a more creative approach to solving problems

Some problems to solve…

Some solutions

identified…

Some new ideas

to take away…

Some techniques to test…

How we’ll do it…

Problem 1

• When, where, how and why to use icebreaker exercises effectively

Technique 1• Progressive charting

Progressive charting - method

1. ‘A’ tables - When would you use an ice breaker?‘B’ tables - What are the potential benefits of

using ice breakers?‘C’ tables - What are the worst things about

ice breakers?2. Take your pen with you…and move on.

A to B, B to C, C to A. Add new ideas to the list.

3. Then move on again.

Feedback

• Feedback on icebreakers– Each group to pick three IMPORTANT

things from the finished charts

• Feedback on progressive charting– Each group describe one situation where

you WOULD use that technique and one where you would NOT.

Problem 2

• Setting the ground rules for teams and groups to work together effectively

Technique 2

• Idea collection– Using post-it notes– Using the flip chart

Idea collection - method

1. Identify a facilitator 2. In pairs – discuss what you need to

feel safe and productive in this group– ‘A’ groups – put each issue on a separate

post it– ‘B’ groups – write the ideas on a flipchart

3. The facilitator gathers these comments to compile a final flip chart with the agreed ‘group contract’

Feedback

Three minutes to give me:

• One sentence on the problem (what have you learned about ice breakers)

• One sentence on the technique (what have you learned about idea collection – either method)

Slight pause for thought…

Let’s think about being a bit more creative….

Scores in NASA creativity test

Age No. tested % “highly creative”

5 1600

Scores in NASA creativity test

Age No. tested % “highly creative”

5 1600 98

Scores in NASA creativity test

Age No. tested % “highly creative”

5 1600 98

10 same group

Scores in NASA creativity test

Age No. tested % “highly creative”

5 1600 98

10 same group 30

Scores in NASA creativity test

Age No. tested % “highly creative”

5 1600 98

10 same group 30

15 same group

Scores in NASA creativity test

Age No. tested % “highly creative”

5 1600 98

10 same group 30

15 same group 12

Scores in NASA creativity test

Age No. tested % “highly creative”

5 1600 98

10 same group 30

15 same group 12

>25 200,000

Scores in NASA creativity test

Age No. tested % “highly creative”

5 1600 98

10 same group 30

15 same group 12

>25 200,000 2

Self-Organizing SystemsdeBono’s River & Topology Analogy for Thinking

Streams of thinking Valleys

Three principles behind all tools of DirectedCreativity

Attention Escape Movement

Paul Plesk

Creative Problem Solving…

1 Mess finding

2 Data finding

3 Problem finding

4 Idea finding

5 Solution finding

6 Acceptance finding

We need both divergent and convergent thinking…

Brainstorming

• Principles– Defer judgement– Quantity breeds quality

• Rules of brainstorming– Criticism is ruled out– Freewheeling is recommended– Quantity is wanted– Combine and improve (hitchhike)

Rules for all divergent thinking!

Problem 3

• Contributing effectively to meetings

Technique 3

• Reverse brainstorming (divergent thinking)

Reverse brainstorming - method

• Use the principles and rules of brainstorming to address this problem:

You are have been invited to attend a Process Mapping event

What could you do during the meeting to ensure that other members of the group are as unwilling as possible

to participate in the session?

Brainstorming

• Principles– Defer judgement– Quantity breeds quality

• Rules of brainstorming– Criticism is ruled out– Freewheeling is recommended– Quantity is wanted– Combine and improve (hitchhike)

Rules for all divergent thinking!

…and now…convergent thinking! (Technique 4 – Top three)

• Look at all of the ideas you have generated in the reverse brainstorm

• Pick the three that you think will have the most impact on making the meeting really bad

• Turn these around into practical suggestions to make your contributions to meetings more effective

Feedback

• What was the best thing about that exercise?

• How will you apply that to your work?

• What was the worst thing?

• How can you learn from this/avoid it when working with groups?

Problem 4

• Leading meetings effectively

Technique 5

• Picture provocations (divergent thinking)

Picture provocations - method

• Look at the selection of pictures you have in front of you

• Remember the principles and rules for divergent thinking… and get out of the mental valleys

• Use the pictures to provoke ideas about the skills, talents, style, approaches, techniques that make for effective leadership of meetings

Brainstorming

• Principles– Defer judgement– Quantity breeds quality

• Rules of brainstorming– Criticism is ruled out– Freewheeling is recommended– Quantity is wanted– Combine and improve (hitchhike)

Rules for all divergent thinking!

Technique 6

• Coloured dots(convergent thinking)

Coloured dots - method

• Take five dots each (any colour)

• Walk around the flipcharts and award your dots to your favourite ideas (ie those you are most likely to use)

• You may award between one and five dots to any idea, but use up all five dots

Feedback

• On leading teams… which idea has the highest number of votes on your chart?

• On Picture Provocations and Coloured Dots… when could you use these techniques?

Variations on coloured dots…

• All doctors have one colour, nurses another, managers another etc

• Only one vote per idea

• One colour for a positive vote, one for a negative

…and so on

Planning and preparation

Planning checklist

Who are the stakeholders in the design of the meeting?

What do they want out of the session? What is the profile of the group? Are you sharing the facilitation? Who with? Time available? Venue details Who is recording? Action points and success criteria What tools will you need?

Top Tips forTools of the trade

• Flip chart paper (and stand!!)

• Flip chart pens (different colours)

• Felt pens (for writing on to post – its)

• Post – its (different sizes and colours)

• Coloured dots• Blu Tack

• Time – things always take longer than you think !!!!!

• Process Tools• What else?

Managing a session

• You’re running out of time?• Unclear objectives?• People aren’t listening?• Domination by one person?• Someone not contributing?• You’ve forgotten where you

are and what comes next!

CYNICS?• Be open to what

everyone says• ACCEPT IT – there is

probably a good reason for their views

• Build the bridge

FACILITATOR’S ASSUMPTION:People are doing the best they can

with the experience, resources and tools they have

And finally – always be prepared for the unexpected!