Alternative Meeting Formats - A presentation to the PMIOVOC breakfast meeting 2014 02 12

Alternate Meeting Formats

Our role is to get the best out of our project teams.  A project’s success is achieved through its team members.
People  relating to people through written, verbal and non verbal communication is the means by which project managers achieve their goal of successfully managed projects.
How we can use the tool of  “conversation” make our project meetings more effective in our communications strategy and execution.
This is what this talk will explore

The Basics
Basic meeting preparation.

We are familiar with this:
• Meeting invitations, agendas, pre meeting handouts.
• Basic meeting conduct
• Minute takers familiar with recording  key points, issues and action items.
• The role of the project manager may be to chair the meeting but this is not always the case.


The Traditional View

Participants will talk and there will be some action taken as a result

Alternative Meetings

• World Café Format
• Talking Circle format
• Online /Remote Meetings



The World Café Format

Scepticism is normal.  Understand that you are merely establishing a different context for the meeting to facilitate conversation thereby establishing alternate methods of communication that will be useful to all.

The idea is that conversation is a core process consisting of six components:
• Reflection and Exploration
• The Gathering of collective insights
• Harvesting of discoveries
• Action planning
• Implementation
• Feedback and assessment

The meeting convener has to have faith in the process.  This may be gained by either having been a participant or by having led the process in the past.  If you, as convener do not BELIEVE in the process or at least have an open mind about it, you will likely fail in hosting an effective World Café Formatted meeting.
The World Café is a tool for creating a conversation and dialogue
The format is flexible but the purpose is collaborative dialogue, active engagement and constructive possibilities for future action
The CAFÉ format is designed to support conversations that matter both in corporations, government and community settings.
The CAFÉ format is provocative. The method is powerful as it is seen as innocuous, natural and almost invisible but will lead to sharing of collective knowledge.


Set the Container

• Organization
• Table Cloth
• Candles/ lighter
• Doodle pads/paper with colored pens
• Music
• Art piece/flowers
• Apron and towel
• Cake or baked goods with forks and plates
• Teapot with Mint tea/cups, Tea Cosey
• Poem (something inspirational such as High Flight

Set the Meeting Purpose

Establish the Purpose for the meeting and use of the world café Meeting Format
This is still a business meeting.  The format is different and has a specific purpose.
The purpose may include:
• Problem solving
• Removing blockages in process or procedure
• Team building

Create the Meeting Container

The meeting container is both safe and inviting where participants are encourage to be themselves.

 Consider how this can be achieved in

• Inviting participants to the meeting, and upon entering the meeting
• Using the container set up to create both a hospitable space which also signals things are not business as usual
• Focus initial attention on the art piece, informality
• Explain the meeting format to the participants
• Establish, and frame the question that matters
• Give the CAFÉ a name – ie Knowledge Café or Project Café
•


Frame a question that matters
The exploration of important questions may be as valuable as finding solutions.
The question optimally begins with
“What would it look like if…
The best questions
• Do not have a yes / no answer
• Energizes the group, sustaining interest, focusing on the essentials
• Thought provoking
• Open up new possibilities
• Make previously unconscious assumptions more apparent
• Focus inquiries, discovery, and advocacy where people realize they may have “something” to offer

When planning meetings it may be wise to test market potential question structure and content

Encourage participation and contribution
Ambiance

• Participants will recognize that this will not be an “ordinary” meeting
• The meeting container will provoke feelings of informality and intimacy
• This can be achieved by
• Use of natural light
• Use of small tables for four or five people arranged as though in a small cafe
• Use of candles (electric), flower vases, table cloths, use plants and greenery
• Cover table cloths with sheets of scratch paper, making colored pens available
• Encourage people to jot down their ideas right on the table paper cover
• Display art work or posters
• Provide food and refreshements/beverages and snacks to complete the café experience


Check in

Participants are asked to introduce themselves if this is a first time meeting
If this is a group who know each other, the participants do a “check-in” where they tell the group their current state of mind, their personal goals or expectations for the meeting

Facilitating Meeting Flow

The ideal set up includes four or five people per table group.
Up to 3 different “Rounds of conversation” of 20 to 30 minutes
Encourage doodling as a means of tapping into right brain/creative thinking
• Encourage participation
• Rephrase in the most positive way
• Tap into the wisdom of the group
• If multiple tables are used, encourage movement between groups
• Tap into themes, patterns and insights
• Encourage whole group conversation
• Be the keeper of the rules of engagement
• Faciliate migration of table traveling groups and table hosts

Rules for engagement

• Focus on matters of importance, avoid digression
• Contribute individual thought and experience
• Speak openly from the heart but with wisdom
• Listen first to understand, to gain insight and formulate deeper questions
• Support each person’s TRUTH as their TRUTH
• Release feelings of defensiveness, (what stands in the way)
• Link and connect ideas
• Play, Doodle, Draw – writing on the table “cloths” is encouraged
• Have fun

Gathering the collective wisdom

A graphical record with flip charts, or murals illustrate the conversation patterns
Use post-it notes to allow ideas to emerge and be reviewed. Post-it notes allow insights to be “clustered”

Connect Diverse perspectives

• Handle conflict,
• Keep the energy positive
• Reframe ideas

Listening for Insight and to share discoveries

• Be a guide
• Gently guide discussion back on track, encourage participation
• Ensure ideas are written down
• Thank people for their contributions, and call out significant contributions
Check Out

Participants are asked to describe their personal takeaway and commitments.
They tell the group their current state of mind, whether their personal goals or expectations for the meeting were met.


Talking circles

The purpose of talking circles is to establish dialogue and consensus
Many of the same techniques used in the World Café Meeting Format are used in the talking circle.
Set the Context
• Establish the Purpose of the meeting
• Set the Meeting Container
Framing a question that matters
Encouraging participation and contribution
Connection of diverse perspectives
Listening for insight and sharing of discoveries

Process and flow
The container includes a circle of chairs, with no central desk, rather a small center tribute possibly with table cloth, flower, book or piece of sculpture, perhaps a candle.
Music may be played while participants convene
Participants may require the use of a talking stick or piece to control cross flow of conversation.
Use meeting check in and checkout
The facilitator participates as well.

REMOTE MEETINGS

Communications is usually considered 7% words (content), 38% voice quality, 55% non verbal. What happens when you take away the 55%?



• FACE TO FACE
• VIDEO : Skype
• STILL VIDEO and AUDIO and text: WEBEX
• AUDIO: Teleconferencing
• TEXT: Lotus Connections/WIKI
• Email/Sametime

Can any of these ideas be applied to remote meetings? More and more meetings must be held remotely as teams are globally situated.

What would it look like if conversation and dialogue were implemented in a remote meeting format?
Recognize that language differences create nuanced problems and push buttons
Rules of Engagement are more rigid : participants are encouraged not to overreact, take anything personally, or rush to judgement
Every meeting must have a certain amount of ‘small talk’, none at all is considered RUDE
Some meetings allow visuals, many do not.
As project leader interface with participants enough outside the meeting to establish a relaxed communication style
Spend more time in preparing the meeting container
Written agendas with minutes sent in advance
Use of a check in may help: what’s going on?
FOCUS ON PURPOSE
CHECK IN: speakers identify themselves, speak slowly and clearly
Conveners summarize and confirm – they maintain control yet display thoughtfulness and courtesy/consideration that any good host would display
All participants practice active listening
The first person to the teleconference becomes the host – the role is to greet people and make them feel comfortable
Know where your mute button is: and whether it is on or off!
Set a time, or set of times that are best for the global team.

Classic Meeting Chair vrs. Convener vrs. Faciliator
Articulate
Avoid Slang, clarify accronyms
Speak slowly or at the very least at a comfortable cadence
Use a chat window to confirm in writing what you are hearing


References:

Jim De Piante http://www.pmi-nic.org/public/digitallibrary/Jim%20De%20Piante%20-%20Mute%20-%2001.pdf

www.theworldcafe.com