Designing meetings for consensus-

based outcomes

iSkills Sept 22nd, 2020

David Buwalda

he/him

DESIGNING MEETINGS FOR CONSENSUS-BASED OUTCOMES

MEETINGS ARE OFTEN SCHEDULED AND RARELY DESIGNED. THIS WORKSHOP INTRODUCES

CONCEPTS AND ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE PROVEN USEFUL IN DESIGNING MEETINGS THAT MOVE

TOWARD CONSENSUS-BASED OUTCOMES. PARTICIPANTS WILL ANALYZE THE OBSTACLES TO GROUP

DECISION MAKING, APPLY DESIGN THINKING CONCEPTS FOR MEETING AGENDAS, AND LEARN

PROCEDURES FOR LEADING CONSENSUS BUILDING ACTIVITIES. FINALLY, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO

DETERMINE SUITABLE APPLICATIONS FOR THESE ACTIVITIES IN THEIR OWN RESEARCH/STUDIES.

DAVID BUWALDA

FOCUS QUESTION

• WHAT MAKES FOR ’GOOD’ MEETINGS IN PERSON AND/OR ONLINE?

WORD OF THE DAY:

PANDEMIC

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT TOGETHER TODAY?

WORKING ASSUMPTIONS

• EVERYONE HAS WISDOM

• EVERYONE SHALL BE SEEN & HEARD

• WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER (AT LEAST FOR NOW)

• THERE ‘ARE’ SILLY QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ASKED

• WE NEED THE MOST INPUT FOR THE WISEST RESULT

AGENDA

• MEETING FACILITATION

WHAT DOES A FACILITATOR

DO DIFFERENT?

WHAT = CONSENSUS?

• MEETING DESIGN

WHAT KIND OF MEETING

ARE YOU PLANNING?

WHAT OUTCOME(S) ARE

YOU AFTER?

• MEETINGS IN PRACTISE

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO

DELIVER ‘GOOD’

MEETINGS?

WHAT ARE TOP TIPS FOR

VIRTUAL MEETINGS?

DAVID BUWALDA

• FACILITATOR

• LEARNING DESIGNER

• BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Clients:

• Cities of Toronto, Calgary, Andong, Cochrane,

Kingston more

• UNESCO, Clinton Foundation, United Way

• University of Toronto, Centennial College,

NUSingapore more

• GSK, Elsevier, Nokia,

• Government Ministries: Korea, Canada, Kenya

WHAT DOES A FACILITATOR DO DIFFERENT?

• PEOPLE WHO ENJOY MEETINGS SHOULD NOT BE IN CHARGE OF ANYTHING.

– THOMAS SOWELL, AMERICAN WRITER AND ECONOMIST

• WHEN I FOUNDED THE TED CONFERENCE, I STARTED BY SUBTRACTING, REDUCING IT DOWN

TO ITS MOST ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS.

– RICHARD SAUL WURMAN

• “A FACILITATOR IS THE CUSTODIAN OF THE CONSENSUS PROCESS, A SERVANT-LEADER WHOSE

PURPOSE IS TO HELP THE GROUP MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS POSSIBLE.” – BRIGGS

• THE FACILITATOR IMPACTS AND GUIDES THE PROCESS BUT DOES NOT GIVE INPUT ON THE

CONTENT OF A MEETING – THAT COMES FROM THE PARTICIPANTS.” –KELSEY AND PLUMB

• MEETINGS ARE A SYMPTOM OF BAD ORGANIZATION. THE FEWER MEETINGS THE BETTER.

– PETER F. DRUCKER, AMERICAN EDUCATOR AND WRITER

CONSENSUS?

• CONSENSUS IS A GROUP DISCUSSION WHERE EVERYONE'S OPINIONS ARE HEARD AND

UNDERSTOOD, AND A SOLUTION IS CREATED THAT RESPECTS THOSE

OPINIONS. CONSENSUS IS NOT WHAT EVERYONE AGREES TO, NOR IS IT THE PREFERENCE OF

THE MAJORITY. CONSENSUS RESULTS IN THE BEST SOLUTION THAT THE GROUP CAN ACHIEVE

AT THE TIME. WIKIPEDIA

“I’VE GIVEN UP ASKING RHETORICAL QUESTIONS. WHAT’S THE POINT?”

AIMS

• OBJECTIVE

WHAT IS THE THING THAT NEEDS TO BE

ACCOMPLISHED BY THE END OF THE

MEETING?

RATIONAL AIM: TO INTRODUCE SOME

EFFECTIVE AND FLEXIBLE PLANNING TOOLS

TO HELP PARTICIPANTS IN FUTURE

MEETINGS MOVE TOWARD CONSENSUS.

• AFFECTIVE

HOW WILL THE MEETING PARTICIPANTS

FEEL OR THINK DIFFERENTLY AS A RESULT?

EXPERIENTIAL AIM: FOR PARTICIPANTS TO

REFLECT ON HOW AND WHY MEETINGS

GET A BAD REP EVEN WHEN WE HAVE

MORE AND MORE OF THEM.

MEETINGS IN PRACTICE

• THINGS AREN’T WORKING

• SOMEONE KEEPS TALKING

• I’VE LOST THE ROOM

• WE ARE WAY OFF TOPIC

• MY COMPUTER FROZE

• PEOPLE LOOK SO BORED

TOP TIPS

• SET EXPECTATIONS (RATIONAL AND EXPERIENTIAL AIMS)

• IMAGINE WHAT THE MEETING MIGHT FEEL LIKE

• LEAVE TIME FOR REFLECTION AT THE END OF THE MEETING

MORE TIPS

• SET AN AGENDA

• END WITH AN ACTION PLAN

• STICK TO TIME (OR END EARLY)

FURTHER READING

ARTICLE

• HTTPS://WWW.NYTIMES.COM/GUIDES/BUSINESS/HOW-TO-RUN-AN-EFFECTIVE-MEETING

BOOK

• HTTPS://WWW.WILEY.COM/EN-

CA/FACILITATING+WITH+EASE%21%3A+CORE+SKILLS+FOR+FACILITATORS%2C+TEAM+LEAD

ERS+AND+MEMBERS%2C+MANAGERS%2C+CONSULTANTS%2C+AND+TRAINERS%2C+4TH+

EDITION-P-9781119434252

TIPS FOR ONLINE MEETINGFROM BLACKBOARD COLLABORATE

• USE A HARD-WIRED (ETHERNET) CONNECTION, IF AVAILABLE. IF NOT AVAILABLE, USE A WIFI CONNECTION. IF USING WIFI, TRY TO BE AS CLOSE TO THE ROUTER AS POSSIBLE.

• CLOSE OTHER PROGRAMS. CLOSE ALL PROGRAMS AND STREAMING SERVICES ON YOUR COMPUTER EXCEPT FOR THE BROWSER YOU ARE USING FOR YOUR COLLABORATE SESSION.

• KEEP YOUR BROWSER CURRENT. ONLY USE UP-TO-DATE INTERNET BROWSERS THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY BLACKBOARD COLLABORATE.

• LIMIT VIDEO USE. USE VIDEO DURING THE SESSION ONLY WHEN NECESSARY.

• USE SUPPORTED MOBILE BROWSERS. IF ON A MOBILE DEVICE, USE A SUPPORTED MOBILE BROWSER. FOR THE BEST EXPERIENCE, USE SAFARI ON IOS DEVICES AND CHROME ON ANDROID

DEVICES.

• USE HEADPHONES. CUT DOWN ON THE BACKGROUND NOISE AND USE HEADPHONES.

• DISABLE ADBLOCKERS. BROWSER ADBLOCKERS CAN TURN OFF YOUR AUDIO AND VIDEO AND CAN CAUSE BUTTONS TO NOT SHOW UP.

• RECORD ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. LIMIT RECORDINGS TO ONLY SESSIONS THAT REQUIRE IT.

• LIMIT APPLICATION SHARING. SHARE APPLICATIONS AND SCREENS ONLY WHEN NECESSARY.

• TURN YOUR PRESENTATIONS INTO PDFS. PDFS PUT MINIMAL DEMAND ON A NETWORK. CONVERT WHAT YOU PLAN TO SHARE INTO A PDF AND UPLOAD IT INTO TO COLLABORATE.

• KEEP SESSIONS SHORT. RECORD YOUR PRESENTATION AND SHARE IT WITH YOUR ATTENDEES BEFOREHAND. GIVE THEM TIME TO THINK ON IT AND USE THE SESSION TO DISCUSS

SMART SCHEDULINGFROM BLACKBOARD COLLABORATE

• ALLOW EARLY ARRIVERS. LET YOUR PARTICIPANTS JOIN THE SESSION EARLY. THIS GIVES NEW PARTICIPANTS A CHANCE TO GET FAMILIAR WITH

THE ROOM AND WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN'T DO. JOIN THE SESSION EARLY YOURSELF AND PRACTICE USING THE TOOLS.

• BE SELECTIVE WITH PARTICIPANT PERMISSIONS. WHEN CREATING A SESSION YOU CAN CHOOSE WHAT PARTICIPANT PERMISSIONS YOU WANT

TO ALLOW IN SESSION SETTINGS. YOU CAN TURN ON OR OFF PARTICIPANTS ABILITY TO CHAT, SHARE VIDEO, SHARE AUDIO, AND DRAW ON

SHARED FILES OR THE WHITEBOARD. THE PERMISSIONS ARE TURNED OFF FOR EVERY PARTICIPANT IN THE SESSION. IF YOU WANT TO LET

A PARTICIPANT TALK OR CHAT, PROMOTE THE PARTICIPANT TO A PRESENTER.

• LET ATTENDEES KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. TELL ATTENDEES HOW TO FIND THE SESSION. LET THEM KNOW WHAT THE SESSION IS ABOUT. SHARE

ANY EXPECTATIONS YOU HAVE FROM THEM DURING THE SESSION.

• INVITE GUEST SPEAKERS. IF YOU ARE HAVING A GUEST SPEAKER, MAKE THEM A PRESENTER IN YOUR SESSION. PRESENTERS ARE ALLOWED TO

SHARE THEIR SCREENS AND UPLOAD IMAGES OR PRESENTATION FILES, BUT CAN'T MODIFY OTHER USERS' PERMISSIONS THE WAY A MODERATOR

CAN. BE THOUGHTFUL WITH SHARING MODERATOR PERMISSIONS OR JOIN LINKS.

• SHARE GUEST LINKS MINDFULLY. GUEST LINKS ARE PUBLIC LINKS. ANYBODY WITH THE LINK CAN JOIN YOUR SESSION AND TAKE PART. DON'T

SHARE LINKS IN PUBLIC PLACES LIKE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. USE THE INVITE ATTENDEE FEATURE TO CREATE SECURE LINKS THAT CAN'T BE SHARED. IF

YOUR SESSION IS IN YOUR COURSE, EVERYONE IN THE COURSE HAS SECURE ACCESS TO THE SESSION THAT CAN'T BE SHARED.

SESSION PREPFROM BLACKBOARD COLLABORATE

• TURN YOUR PRESENTATIONS INTO PDFS. PDFS PUT MINIMAL DEMAND ON A NETWORK. CONVERT WHAT YOU PLAN

TO SHARE INTO A PDF AND UPLOAD IT INTO TO COLLABORATE.

• MAKE IT A COLLABORATIVE SESSION. RECORD YOUR PRESENTATION AND SHARE IT WITH YOUR ATTENDEES

BEFOREHAND. GIVE THEM TIME TO THINK ON IT. THEN USE THE SESSION TO DISCUSS.

• HAVE POLL TEXT READY. IF YOU PLAN TO RUN A POLL, HAVE THE TEXT YOU WANT TO USE READY SO YOU CAN JUST

COPY AND PASTE.

• JOIN EARLY. GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO CHECK YOUR AUDIO AND VIDEO, IF YOU PLAN TO USE THEM. UPLOAD

FILES YOU PLAN TO SHARE. PRACTICE USING THE TOOLS.

• GIVE ATTENDEES A FEW MINUTES TO JOIN. ATTENDEES MAY BE RUNNING FROM ANOTHER SESSION, MAY BE HAVING

CONNECTION PROBLEMS, OR ARE LEARNING HOW TO USE COLLABORATE FOR THE FIRST TIME. GIVE THEM A FEW

MINUTES TO JOIN AND GET SETTLE. SET A TIMER TO LET ATTENDEES KNOW WHEN THE SESSION IS GOING TO START.

FACILITATE DYNAMIC SESSIONSFROM BLACKBOARD COLLABORATE

• LIMIT VIDEO USE. USE VIDEO DURING THE SESSION ONLY WHEN NECESSARY.

• LIMIT APPLICATION SHARING. SHARE APPLICATIONS AND SCREENS ONLY WHEN NECESSARY.

• RECORD ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. LIMIT RECORDINGS TO ONLY SESSIONS THAT REQUIRE IT.

• KEEP THE ATTENDEES PANEL OPEN. YOU CAN TELL WHO IS AWAY, HAS THEIR MICROPHONE ON, OR IS HAVING NETWORK CONNECTION TROUBLE. MONITOR CONNECTION STATUS OF ATTENDEES TO SEE IF ANYONE MAY BE MISSING ANYTHING.

• INTRODUCE YOURSELF. DON'T ASSUME THAT YOUR PARTICIPANTS RECOGNIZE YOUR VOICE. STATE YOUR NAME THE FIRST FEW TIMES YOU SPEAK. LET THEM GET TO KNOW YOU.

• INTRODUCE GUESTS SPEAKERS. YOU CAN INVITE A GUEST SPEAKER OR ENCOURAGE GROUP COLLABORATION IN YOUR COURSE BY PROMOTING ANY PARTICIPANT TO BE A PRESENTER OR A MODERATOR. PRESENTERS ARE ALLOWED TO SHARE THEIR SCREENS AND

UPLOAD IMAGES OR PRESENTATION FILES, BUT CAN'T MODIFY OTHER USERS' PERMISSIONS THE WAY A MODERATOR CAN.

• HIGHLIGHT KEY POINTS IN YOUR PRESENTATION. MOVE THROUGH PRESENTATIONS USING THE ARROWS AVAILABLE. USE THE ANNOTATION TOOLS ON THE WHITEBOARD OR IN PRESENTATIONS TO ADD TEXT, POINTERS, OR DIFFERENT SHAPES.

• INCLUDE Q&A. ENCOURAGE PARTICIPANTS TO ASK QUESTIONS. AS MORE PARTICIPANTS SPEAK, THE ULTRA EXPERIENCE OF BLACKBOARD COLLABORATE AUTOMATICALLY FOLLOWS-THE-LEADER, DISPLAYING THE NAME OF THE CURRENT SPEAKER ON THE SCREEN.

• MUTE YOURSELF WHEN NOT SPEAKING. NOTHING IS MORE DISTRACTING THAN HEARING OUTSIDE SOUNDS LIKE TYPING OR A SIDE CONVERSATION.

• MUTE ATTENDEES. MUTE ATTENDEES IN LARGE SESSIONS. IF YOU NEED TO, YOU CAN ALSO STOP PARTICIPANTS FROM SHARING THEIR VIDEO FROM SESSION SETTINGS.

• MAKE EYE CONTACT. IF YOU ARE SHARING YOUR VIDEO, LOOK AT THE CAMERA AND NOT THE SESSION. IT MAY FEEL WEIRD BUT IT HELPS PARTICIPANTS FEEL MORE LIKE THEY ARE A PART OF THE SESSION AND LESS ISOLATED.

• REMOVE PARTICIPANT PERMISSIONS. STOP ALL PARTICIPANTS FROM USING THEIR AUDIO, VIDEO, CHAT, OR WRITING ON THE WHITEBOARD. ALL PARTICIPANTS HAVE THE SAME PERMISSIONS. IF YOU TURN THEM OFF AND WANT ONE PARTICIPANT TO SPEAK, PROMOTE

THE PARTICIPANT TO A PRESENTER.

End