Tip of the Month #5 - Distill a Let’s Leave With List

The foundation of your agenda

You and your colleagues are learning from each meeting: what’s going well and what could go better. You are making small changes to improve each meeting. Now, let’s make a big change by creating a new agenda format, to focus attention on results.

When planning an agenda, the first thing to think about is the last thing you will do: get up to leave. Imagine this moment, then answer these questions:

Which questions did we answer unambiguously?

What decisions did we make?

What shared understandings did we achieve?

Now consider the agenda format you use right now.

Does it present specific results you intend to leave with?

Are those items woven into the agenda?

If your answer is yes, then skip this Tip and take the rest of the day off!

If not, let’s get started by asking:

What decisions, agreements and shared understandings do we wish to leave with from this meeting?

Your responses are the foundation for your agenda; I call them the Let’s Leave With List. Every single agenda I create begins with a Let’s Leave With List. It usually includes four to six items, but can range anywhere from one to ten.

As you draft your list, consider both the shared understandings you hope to gain and the decisions you hope to make.

Sample Shared Understanding

Understand the root causes of our weakening cash flow so that we can take action before it becomes a crisis.

Understand the problems with last month’s festival so that we can run it better next year.

Understand board member questions about a proposed project so that we can make a fully-informed decision next month.

Sample Decisions or Products

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  A decision to select a contractor so that we can start construction next spring.



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  Agreed-upon fundraising targets so that we can finalize the new budget.



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  A commitment by each member to sell raffle tickets so that we meet our fundraising goal.

Don’t feel limited by these suggestions, but do begin every outcome with a solid noun, such as understanding, agreement, commitment, recognition or a decision.

You noticed that each sample includes the ending so that. By completing the sentence after so that, you test the value of each proposed outcome.

A substantial outcome will lead to a compelling so that. You’ll know this one belongs on the list.

A flimsy outcome will make you wonder, Why do we want to spend time on this issue? If that’s the case, either dig deeper to find the real issue, or delete it from your draft.

Once your items are sound, order them so decisions can be made based on shared understandings, so urgent items are dealt with first, or so items follow a logical progression.

Next, we’ll build a focused agenda on the Let’s Leave With List foundation.

Tip of the Month #4 - Make Small Changes Based on the Plus/Delta Review

This month, let’s build on Plusses and incorporate at least one Delta suggestion into your existing meeting format. In upcoming Tips, I’ll propose changes to your meetings that may look drastic. To get started, however, I suggest you use Plusses and Deltas to take small steps. Participants will notice and appreciate any improvements that follow their suggestions.

Here are the most common Plusses I hear:

Everyone participated.

Good snacks!

We made important decisions.

Everyone came prepared. We did our homework.

Here are the most common Deltas I hear: It would be better if…

We started and ended on time.

We stuck to the agenda.

We stayed on topic.

More people attended.

Making Small Changes as the Chair.

The next time you meet, try this as a first step. Open the meeting with brief recognition that

These are the things we felt went well at our last meeting: ……recap briefly from your notes………….

Can we agree to keep it up?

Don’t belabor it or add you own commentary; just recap what they said, ask for agreement to keep it up and move on.

In subsequent meetings, incorporate one or two Deltas. For example,

We’ve been building on what we do well. Today I’d like to try out two of the Deltas that you suggested last time we met. First, can we all try to stay on topic? [Look each person in the eye and ask for some sign of agreement.]

Second, let’s make sure we encourage everyone to participate.

As we wrap up today, we’ll review Plusses and Deltas again to take stock.

If you keep a running list of Plusses and Deltas you’ll notice the changes and trends over time. With any luck, you’ll see Deltas move into the Plus column.

Suggesting Small Changes from Your Chair

OK, so your Chair has opened the meeting as suggested above, but your colleagues are back to their old tricks and the Chair doesn’t seem to notice. From you chair, you can make an observation and ask a question without challenging the Chair.

Last month we stayed on topic well. Today, it seems to me we are wandering all over the place. Does it seem that way to anybody else?........ Could we try to stick to the point better?

It seems to me that a few of us are doing most of the talking. Does it seem that way to anyone else? Could we agree to make one point and give others time to speak?

I hope by now you recognize my on-going reliance on specific agreements made among participants. This, I think, is a silver bullet for better meetings.

Experiment this month with agreements based on Plusses and Deltas. Next month, we’ll introduce a foundation on which to build stronger agendas.

Tip of the Month #3 - Observe with a Clinical Eye: What Do Others See….and Suggest?

In Tips #1 and #2, we set the foundation for better meetings. You’re now able to observe more clinically – like a video camera – to see clearly what is happening around the room during meetings you attend, or chair. You’re also noticing your responses to people, their actions and interactions.

Now it’s time to work above ground using the Plus/Delta Review.

Here’s how it works. Before the next meeting, arrange for two minutes on the agenda just before adjournment to pose two questions to the group.
1. What worked well during this meeting? These are the Plusses.
2. Next time we meet, it will be better if….what? These are the Deltas. Delta is the scientific sign for change. We use it rather than Minus; find out why below.

I suggest you use the Plus/Delta Review as your first outward step toward better meetings. Introduce it to the group saying something like: I’d like our meetings to be more productive and satisfying and I think we, as a group, know exactly how to do that. I’d like to take two minutes to gather your observations and suggestions, so we can begin to implement them at our next meeting. Are you willing to try?
If the group agrees, then – one at a time – ask each question.

1. What worked well during this meeting? Please give me a word or a phrase, rather than a sentence or paragraph. I’ll write down your comments as quickly as I can. So, what worked well?
The first time a group hears this question, the responses may be slow to start. If so, don’t break the silence yourself. Silence is creative space for reflection. Once the ideas begin to flow, thank each person and briskly say, Next! As comments peter out, ask, Is there anything else that works well? The moment the answer is no, move on to the Deltas.

2. Next time we meet, it will be better if….what? Remember, I’m looking for improvements, not problems or complaints.
Until a group becomes accustomed to the Delta approach, several people will typically describe problems. When they do, gently rephrase their comments into a Delta: Do you mean….?

Why does this matter? Because a litany of negatives can fill the room with negativity. Instead, expressing the Deltas requires each person not only to identify problems, but also to consider options for change (including by him or herself) and pick one for the group to consider. This is generative thinking and promotes action.

For example:
Rather than, It’s uncomfortable in here (which could relate to any number of specific problems), the Delta might be:
Let’s open the window.
Let’s turn down the thermostat.
Let’s meet upstairs where there are cushioned chairs.

The Deltas uncover the simple solutions and bigger possibilities for improvement.

Sometimes a Delta even causes individuals to recognize that they can solve all or most of a problem, like Let’s make our points briefly, without going off on tangents. The talkative culprits may just take the suggestion to heart.

Jot down the Deltas, acknowledge the speaker and briskly say Next! Until you hear a pause. Then ask, Is there anything else we can do differently, or better? If not, thank everyone and adjourn.

I take the time to do a Plus/Delta Review every time I run a meeting; it reveals something important even if there are only two or three items. As you implement upcoming Tips of the Month, the Plus/Delta will reveal what’s working and what’s not.

Next month, we’ll build a new agenda format on a foundation of Let’s Leave With items and, of course, incorporating your Plusses and Deltas.

Tip of the Month #2 - Observe with a Clinical Eye: What Do You See and Feel?

© John Monroe 2011

Last month, we began to view meetings objectively (like a video camera), setting aside as many of our personal filters and expectations as possible. Cultivating the ability to turn on your inner video camera periodically during every meeting will refresh your screen, so you can see what’s happening right now. This month, let’s look inside and consider how you react to what you see.

There are at least two reasons to understand better your emotional involvement. First, it will help you to recognize when emotions are about to affect your effectiveness as a facilitator or as a meeting participant. More on this below.

Second, you may begin to notice when emotion is playing an important role among others in the room. Whether you are chairing the meeting or not, simply observing what you see will be an essential tool to create meetings that matter. In upcoming tips we’ll examine how this tool works, but first let’s look inward.

When you get hooked by the emotional content of a conversation, you risk losing your ability to respect and uphold the agreements made for how you will conduct business and make decisions. Especially as the facilitator or chair, this could interrupt your ability to serve the needs of the group above your personal needs.

Specifically, you want to avoid getting emotionally hooked by the conversation, or arguments or personalities in the room. You will also learn to spot emotional reactions internally and manage them before they blossom in full view. Note: As you develop this emotional intelligence, you’ll be better able to support others when emotions run high.

So this month, pause to notice your internal reactions to what you see and hear. Jot down any word, exclamation or phrase that describes your feelings, such as:
Yes!
Oh nooo.
Aaaarrrggghhh.
What?
Well done!!
Not again!
Why so slow?
What’s the rush?

When certain people speak, do you sit up and listen with a smile?

When others speak, so you cringe quietly and shift uncomfortably in your chair?

Does the meeting seem to be in slow motion, or does it feel rushed, or is it about right?

Do you leave feeling encouraged and confident, or just glad that it’s over?

Looking around the room, do others appear to feel the same way, or differently? [Note: in a future tip we will talk about how important it is to verify the meaning of what you see, not just assume you are right.]

Practice Tip #2 for a few minutes during several meetings this month. Discretely, keep your list of observations. Afterwards, consider the intensity and patterns of your responses. In upcoming tips, we’ll put these observations and patterns to work in your role as meeting facilitator, chair or participant.

Please comment on this blog, or drop me an email, with comments and questions. I’ll be delighted to hear what you think….and feel!

Tip of the Month #1 - Observe with a Clinical Eye: What Would a Video Camera See?

© John Monroe 2011

Observe a meeting that you attend or chair with a dispassionate, clinical eye. Consider what a video camera would record. How many people are engaged, attentive, making eye contact and smiling? How many are slumped back, distracted and glum? What can you learn from what you see? What concerns you? What good signs do you see?

Why is the first step I recommend a step back? Because it is important to learn how well you are able to detach and simply observe. Are you able to set aside your reactions and preferences to view impartially what is happening? Can you turn off your filters so the good, the bad and the ugly shine through? I have to admit, this is not the way my personality prefers to work, so it takes a conscious effort.

When I facilitate a difficult meeting well, it’s because I keep my eyes and my mind open enough to see “just the facts, Ma’am” (as Joe Friday used to say). If I look for what I want or hope to see, my actions fall out of sync with the meeting I'm in at that moment.

People ask, John, how did you know we needed to move faster (or slow down, or take a break) at that moment? I reply that a roomful of audible and visual cues signaled the need to act, or not act. Your job as a facilitator or chair is to be keenly observant, not just riding along in the back seat staring out the window.

As you practice seeing like a video camera, take notes on what you see during part of a meeting, or even better, during an entire meeting. Watch and listen for:

Eye contact – Who’s making it and who is not? See any rolling eyes?

Posture – Are people slumped, leaning forward, attentively relaxed or fidgeting? Does posture change with agenda items, or as the meeting nears the end?

Breathing – See any sighs or yawns?

Speaking & Hearing – Do words reach everyone? Does anyone seem not to hear or comprehend? How much “space” is there between speakers…..time enough to breathe, or does one person cut off another?

As you put this to use, let me know what your video camera sees.

In upcoming editions of this blog, we’ll learn how to turn your observations into a power tool to manage meetings.