Difference between revisions of "Meeting Tips"
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* [[Example Agenda]] | * [[Example Agenda]] | ||
* [[Meeting Template]] ''(Useful for making agendas.)'' | * [[Meeting Template]] ''(Useful for making agendas.)'' | ||
+ | * [http://freegeek.org/howto/consensus/scribe.html Scribe Howto] |
Revision as of 10:17, 9 March 2005
About a week before the meeting
Facilitator:
- Make sure you will be able to attend. If not, find someone to facilitate for you.
- Read the agenda and the minutes from the previous meeting. (If the minutes can't be found, find out who took them and ask them to post the minutes.)
- Read any followup messages on the email list
- Post a message on the list calling for agenda items. Include:
- the date and time of meeting,
- who is scribe and facilitator,
- any agenda items you already know about
Scribe:
- Make sure you will be able to attend. If not, find someone to scribe for you.
The day before the meeting
Facilitator:
- Create the agenda. (Assemble all agenda items. Organize them into a final agenda, grouping related items together and plugging into the general template):
- Review the previous meeting's notes
- Review which meetings happened that are likely to report
- Review the agenda
- Review other relevant things, like the RT queue, email posts, and the wiki
- Line up presenters for anything on the agenda that seems like a major topic. These people should be prepared to introduce the topic and answer questions about it.
Before the meeting
Facilitator:
- Incorporate any last minute items onto the agenda.
- Print out copies of the agenda. Usually three copies:
- one for the scribe,
- one for yourself,
- one to share with the group.
Scribe:
- Get a laptop or a paper and pen/pencil for taking notes
- Get a copy of the agenda from the facilitator
The Meeting
Once you know the tips, you may want to use the empty Meeting Template page as a start.
Call the meeting to order
Facilitator:
- Make sure there's a scribe taking attendance and ready to take notes
- Is everyone OK with the agenda? Any items missing?
Scribe:
- Record the name of the meeting and the date
- List everyone in attendance (for some meetings also list if they were late). Ask for people's names if you don't know them.
Check in
Facilitator:
- Ask how everyone's doing.
- Get quick introductions from everyone. (At least get everyone's name. This helps the scribe take attendance.)
Scribe:
- Write down who's there. (Come back to this section and add people's names as they arrive.)
Committments from Previous Meeting
Facilitator:
- Go through each item and ask for a brief report.
- If committments pertain to regular agenda items, ask that discussion be put off until that item's time.
Scribe:
- Record the status of each item
- Did it change owners?
- Is it finished?
- Is it a carryover? (If so, re-enter in the Future Committments section.)
Reports from Other Meeting
Facilitator:
- Go through each report and ask for a brief report.
- If committments pertain to regular agenda items, ask that discussion be put off until that item's time.
- If issues come up that aren't on the agenda, add a new item to New Business section.
Scribe:
- Record links to online minutes.
- Record questions and answers.
Old Business
Facilitator:
- Ask the presenter to present the topic.
- Ask for questions to clarify the issue.
- Is there any discussion?
- Are we ready for a formal proposal?
- If not:
- Does there need to be any action?
- Does a smaller group need to hammer out a proposal?
- Can it be done on and email list and/or wiki?
- If we are ready for a proposal try to guide discussion towards making one.
- For each proposal:
- Does everyone understand it?
- What concerns do people have? How can it be changed to deal with those concerns?
- If there appears to be agreement, make sure the proposal is in writing by asking the scribe to read it back. (This ensures that everyone is agreeing to the same thing.)
- Ask one last for any remaining concerns.
- If there are none, state that we've reached a decision and have the scribe record it.
- If there are concerns:
- Can it be hammered out in a smaller group and decided at next meeting?
- Are there alternate proposals to consider?
- If there are concerns that cannot be address (for instance, if the decision cannot be put off) ask if anyone is blocking the decision.
Scribe:
- Record item names
- Key points from discussion
- Proposals (at least loose wording)
- Decisions -- Mark them clearly as decisions. Make sure the wording is accurate. Read them to the group if there is any doubt. (This may seem like a waste of time, but it clarifies what decisions have been made, and therefore saves time in the long run.)
New Business
Facilitator:
- (Same points at Old Business)
Scribe:
- (Same points at Old Business)
Future Committments
Scribe:
- Record the item, its owner, and a time frame.
Next Meeting
Scribe:
- Record the name of the next scribe.
- Record the name of the next facilitator.
- Record any reporters (i.e. to Council Meeting or Staff Meeting).
- Record next time and place of meeting.
- Record any unfinished business for the next facilitator to include in the meeting.
After the Meeting
Scribe:
- Post the minutes to the list.
- Explicitly ask if anyone who was there has additions or clarifications.
- Explicitly ask if anyone who wasn't there has any questions.
See also:
- Example Meeting Minutes
- Example Agenda
- Meeting Template (Useful for making agendas.)
- Scribe Howto