Wild Apricot Free Expert Webinar - Leading Great Board Meetings

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Leading Great Board Meetings: How to Structure Yours for Success

Free Expert WebinarWebinar presenter: Richard Lent, Ph.D. & Co-founder of Meeting for Results – an organization that provides leaders with the coaching, tools and facilitation they need to get better results from their meetings. Author of Leading Great Meetings: How to Structure Yours for Success


Take-Aways from Today’s Session

Provide practical tools and ideas to:1. Generate constructive input on strategy, plans and

proposals.2. Improve alignment and commitment to decisions.3. Support effective follow-up actions.

And take your questions …


Replies to Registration Questions

What is your biggest challenge in reaching decisions—effectively and efficiently? Getting alignment. (All 3 stories will address, Tools: PALPaR and others) Lack of preparation (Tool: FATT) Reaching clear decisions (Stories 1 & 3, Tool: 5Cs)

What is your greatest challenge with follow-up to board decisions and plans? Action plans and follow-through (Last section on “Achieving Results” and

Tools: Forces Review, Follow-Up Timing and Three Follow-Up Questions)


Meeting Challenges for Nonprofit Boards (And Other Teams)

• Size of group• Ineffective time management• Discussions get stuck in

details• Unequal participation and

engagement• Low support for decisions and

uncertain follow-up


What We’ll Explore Today

• Three stories of board meeting challenges and how they were resolved

1. Managing discussions and decisions2. Board challenged by low engagement and alignment3. Building alignment around strategic change

• Eleven tools to use to structure more effective meetings– Specific focus on building decisions and follow-up

• Recommendations based on how you can work with the structure of your meetings to use time well, build engagement, alignment and follow-up, even with large groups.


Unseen Structures Affect What We Do


Which Meeting Would You Rather Attend?


Unseen Structures of Meetings

• Physical, temporal, procedural aspects of meetings.

• With an (unrecognized) impact on how we interact with each other and the work of the meeting.


1) Challenge: Managing Discussions and Decisions

• 10 board members• One person always had a lot to say• Another always seemed to question, or have a different view • Others participated on an uneven basis• Unclear decision-making … and some get revisited later

My recommendations to the leader involved how she could focus and balance discussions and one way to build decisions …


The Next Meeting

• Leader shares agenda with a plan that needs their approval.• She introduces decision and turns to person responsible to

present proposed plan. • He presents the plan, but doesn’t take questions (yet). • The leader asks all to reflect for a moment… and then turn to

another person around the table to share views on 3 questions she has written on a flip... • What do you like about the plan?• Where do you need further information?• Where do you have concerns?


Meeting Continues: Gathering Reactions…

• She goes around again and asks each pair to share their thoughts on: questions and concerns. She asks all to listen without comment.

• After a few minutes, she asks each pair to share what they discussed in response to the first question…what they liked. She writes replies on flip chart.


Meeting Concludes: Reply and Decision

• Next, she asks the presenter for his replies to what he’s heard. • Finally, she leads a Go-Around and asks each person to speak

in turn about whether the plan has his/her support … or if further changes or clarifications are necessary.• All say they support the plan, or at least consent to it and agree

that it should go ahead.• This discussion lasted about 40 minutes and created a clear,

well-supported plan.


Some Key Structural Choices

She used the following tools to lead an effective meeting:FATTPALPaRThree Reaction Questions5 CsGo-Around

• Defining the task.• Creating a structure for discussion.• Having a clear process for decision.


Example: In response to a safety incident, a team might meet to discuss “Fund raising.” A more clearly focused task statement could be, “What can we learn from last year’s campaign that we can apply to improve this year’s fund raising effort?”

FATTDefining a Clear Task: Focused, Actionable, Timely, Timed

Clear tasks focus discussion. And when sent out in advance help people come prepared to the meeting.

How clear are your tasks on a recent board or team meeting agenda?


PALPaRCreating an Effective Exchange in Response to a Proposal

Before you begin, summarize process and proceed as follows:

Present: The proposal or decision.Ask: Participants to talk in small groups to share reactions.Listen: Take reports from each small group. Record the feedback where all can see.Pause: Give the person making the proposal a chance to reflect on the feedback and develop a thoughtful response and…Reply: With a summary of what was shared and respond to the feedback.


Three Reaction QuestionsGathering Balanced Feedback

Present proposal. Then ask participants to reflect on their own or in small groups to answer these questions:

1. What do you like about [the proposal]?2. Where do you need further information?3. Where do you have concerns?

After a few minutes, take reports, one question at a time beginning with the first. Get all replies to first question before proceeding to the second.


Five “Cs” Of Decision MakingChoosing How to Decide with a Group

Productive engagement requires being clear how you want to reach decisions. There are five ways to reach decisions with a group, “5Cs”

ConsensusConsentCompromiseCountingConsulting

All agree.

Acceptable, no major downsides.

We all give up something to reach a decision.

Voting. “Side” with most votes “wins.”

Providing input to person responsible for

decision.


Go-AroundHearing from each Person in Turn Without “Cross-talk”

• Ask participants to share their thinking on the subject (or decision) one at a time.• Give a specific expectation for the time each person

has to speak…usually 1-2 minutes is enough.• Explain that no one should speak until everyone has

spoken once.


Questions So Far?

Photo credit: Rein Skullerud, for WFP


2) Challenge: Low Engagement and Commitment

• 18 members• Monthly meetings of

uncertain length• Difficult, ineffective board

discussions• Lots of unstated issues• New president hopes to

change things


• Create an agenda that clearly defines the work to be done and sets a realistic time to do it. (FATT)

• Change room set-up and seating to change interactions. (Seating Arrangements, 5Cs)

• Plan a structure for discussions to make sure all get to talk and be heard … and stay on time. (1-2-All, 5Cs)

My Recommendations


Seating ArrangementsChanging Interaction by Changing Seating

How you sit together can change how you talk together.Decide if you want individuals to sit as they usually do. The best choice may be to mix participants so that the same people don’t sit with and talk to the same folks as usual.

Tips:Direct people to their “assigned” seats as they arrive. Begin by taking a different seat yourself. If it’s a large group or you want better dialogue, use circles of chairs.


1-2-AllEffective Engagement for Any Size Group

After introducing a subject or question to be addressed by the group, complete the following steps.

1: Individual Reflection. Give individuals a minute or two to gather their own thoughts. (This is the “1” of the tool).

2: Small Group Discussion. Ask everyone to turn to their neighbors to form small, 2 (or 3) person groups to share ideas. Give them 5 minutes or so to share.

All: Whole Group Discussion. Ask each group for a brief report (typically 1-3 minutes) summarizing their small group discussion.


3) Challenge: Aligning Everyone on Strategic Change

• Board intends to propose an important organizational change and expects resistance.

• Needs support of majority of members and good alignment among board

• Using PALPaR and Three Reactions Questions


Engaging Everyone (80 Stakeholders in 60 Minutes!)

• Board reviews purpose of meeting: to gather input on proposal.

• Proposal presentation.• Small groups address 3

questions.


Listening to Feedback• President asks for sample of responses to first question.• As comments shared, board member writes key phrases

on flip chart.• Repeats process for second and third question.• After all reports, President thanks everyone for their

input and explains the Board will review feedback and present conclusions next week.

• Over the following week, Board meets to incorporate what they learned and develop revised proposal.


Board Meets with Members Again• Board summarizes what they heard in response to all 3

questions.• They explain how they considered feedback.• Revised proposal is presented. • Again people share their reactions in small groups before

whole group discussion (using 1-2-All).• Proposal easily passes subsequent vote.


Underlying Structure

• Short initial presentation.• Everyone gets to speak in small, mixed

groups. No one gets to “take over” meeting.

• Addressing 3 questions, one at a time, ensures balanced feedback heard by all.

• Small group sharing before whole group discussion.

• Board works with feedback before having to reply.

• Decision built before voting.• Tools: PALPaR, Three Reaction

Questions, 1-2-All


Questions?

Photo credit: Rein Skullerude, for WFP

Photo credit: Rein Skullerud, for WFP


Two Key Structural Choices in Achieving Results

How you build decisions with your group.

How you plan to follow-up.


80/20 Principle: Focusing on Areas of Agreement

We often agree on 80% of some situation but put most of the energy and time into the 20% we disagree on.

• Remind the group of this principle early in meeting.• Record areas of disagreement as points “not yet agreed.” • Keep the attention on areas of agreement.

Tip: Introduce this principle early in your meeting, not when you get stuck. Make sure you follow-up on disagreed items in the future.


How You Plan to Reach a Decision

Tools to reach decisions with a group:– Consensus– Consent– Compromise– Counting– Consulting

80/20 Principle, Go-Around

Go-Around, Multi-Voting, Forces Review

Small group brings back proposal: PALPaR or 1-2-All

Reach decision by some other means first

PALPaR


Forces Review Thinking Constructively and Action Planning with all “Sides”

1) Preparation: Write goal at top of flip chart. Divide chart in half with vertical line: one side labeled “Supporting” other “Restraining.”

2) Brainstorm: Complete a brainstorm of supporting forces and then all the restraining forces. A force is anything impacting progress.

GoalSupportin

gRestraining


Forces Review… 3) Multi-vote: Each person votes for top 3 supporting and top 3 restraining forces.

4) Identifying actions: For top three supporting forces, identify ways to strengthen them. For top 3 restraining forces, identify ways to weaken them. 5) Conclusions: Identify next steps to work with identified actions.

Note: This is not comparing pros and cons, but exploring all factors affecting achievement and what to do about them. All views are shared and considered.


Plan a review of progress within 30-45 days of original meeting. Longer than this and much of the attention shifts to why things have been hard to complete.

Review both what has and hasn’t been accomplished so far using Three Follow-Up Questions.

Follow-Up TimingChoosing the Best Time to Learn from Actions


Discuss the following questions in this order. Balance time and attention across all 3. You can modify the questions, but keep all 3 types.

1. What has been accomplished as planned?2. What hasn’t been accomplished as planned?3. What can we learn about making progress in this area

from our answers to questions 1 and 2?

Three Follow-Up Questions Learning from a Balanced Review of Progress


Additional Resources

Rick’s new book is available on Amazon. It includes example agendas, approaches to difficult situations, a chapter on effective virtual meetings, many more tools.

Rick has four new videos on structural techniques at https://youtu.be/9aK_adNs_ug

Contact Rick to explore your questions [email protected] or visit his blog: www.meetingforresults.com/blog

Rick will co-host a webinar on Leading Great Virtual Meetings on Dec. 10. Nancy Settle-Murphy from Guided Insights will join him in this session. Join us!

http://amzn.to/PJEyJY

https://youtu.be/9aK_adNs_ug

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.meetingforresults.com/blog

Date post:	15-Apr-2017
Category:	Education
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Wild Apricot Free Expert Webinar - Leading Great Board Meetings

Education