Organizational Development - old version: Facilitation & Meeting Effectiveness

Organizational effectiveness can be measured to a large extent by  how well and consistently the work of the organizations' groups, committees, councils,  task forces, departments, units, individuals is facilitated -- before, during, and after their meetings. 

Facilitation serves four core functions:

• Provide Structure
• Encourage Participation
• Reflect the Group as a Whole
• Move the Group Forward

Source: Good Group Decisions (2007). Meeting facilitation functions and techniques.

Learn more about the skills of good meeting facilitation, organizational skills for meeting pariticpation, and effective meeting information management.

On June 14-15, 2011 KU Libraries faculty and staff particiapted in an in-house Facilitaion Training workshop offered by KU HREO. Below are participant responses to the question: How can facilitation be used in your every day job?

-With more staff now having facilitation training I feel there may be more courage to lead from where I am.

-We can all be more effective members of various groups- group discussions, meeting groups, task force, committees…In our jobs as supervisors we can be more effective.

-manage/run meetings more effectively… participate more effectively in other meetings attended.

-can take skills learned to work on projects and to encourage input/conversation in meetings

-My boss has asked us to start using them during our department meetings

-I can help with facilitation in my department meetings. I can use my staff meetings to practice facilitation. I can use it in helping with departmental focus groups.

-It was helpful to me to receive feedback on my facilitating a discussion. It will inform my future efforts at facilitative leadership. On that note, it was helpful to see others facilitate –the benefits of neutrality – in particular.

What every meeting needs:

Purpose: a statement that summarizes the goals or end in mind for the meeting.

Agenda: an outline for what will be discussed and can be used for the notetaker to record discussion (see Templates, at right)

Summary/Action items: Give time to review what was disucssed and determine what actions will be taken by when.

Plus/Delta: reserved (usually 5 minnutes) for the end meeting to go over what went well, what could change for next time.

Who every meeting needs:

Facilitator: Could be the chair (or co-chair) of the meeting, or a separate person without a vested interest in the decisions of the meeting.

Timekeeper: Someone who will keep track and remind group of alloted time for agenda items and discussion. Could be responsibility of co-chair/facilitator  or notetaker.

Notetaker: Someone to fill in the agenda meeting outline and be responsible for reviewing them with the group and posting them as needed.

Participants: members with a understand of facilitation tools who support the meeting structure, the facilitator, and other participants.

Other helpful tools:

KULSS recently sponsored a very successful annual Staff Development Event with Kathleen Ames Oliver (KU HREO) on the topic of Introversion and Extroversion. 

This topic, especially the introvert/extrovert in leadership, has been widely shared across the internet recently (see links below) And you’ll find all three copies of Susan Cain’s 2012 book:  Quiet : the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking currently checked out!  In her book, Cain explains how Introverts -- good at listening, and less interested in dominating social situations -- are the best leaders for proactive employees, while Extroverts -- with their natural ability to inspire --  are better at leading more passive workers. 

The links below offer some guidance on how introverts and extroverts can function at their best in meetings.

Feel free to use the following templates in your committees and work groups.