Primary\u00a0Ground Rules<\/h3>\n
Consider a few, select ground rules for every meeting, regardless of your situation. We consider the following four ground rules so important we use them in every meeting or workshop<\/em>. The fifth meeting ground rule shown below (“No Hiding”) has been added for online meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n Ground Rules poster available at the MGRUSH<\/span><\/em>\u00a0Facilitation Store<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n First and foremost, speaks to the removal of distractions<\/a> and getting participants<\/a> to focus. “Be Here Now” demands that electronic leashes be reined in\u2014i.e., phones on stun mode, laptops down, be punctual after breaks, and pay attention. The hardest thing to do with a group of smart people is to get them to focus on the same issue at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n Your job is to remove distractions so that they can focus.<\/span><\/p>\n We are NOT defining consensus<\/a> as everyone’s favorite or top choice. Nor are we suggesting that our decisions<\/a> will make everyone ‘happy.’ We are facilitating<\/a> to a standard that everyone can professionally<\/a> support. Participants agree they will NOT try to undermine the results after the meeting ends. If so, they are guilty of displaying a lack of integrity. We strive to build an agreement that is robust enough to be considered valid by everyone. No one should lose any sleep over the results. Remember, however, it may not be their ‘favorite’ course of action.<\/span><\/p>\n This ground rule applies to structured<\/a>, for-profit situations and NOT necessarily unstructured<\/a>, political, or social meetings. During our standard business meetings, participants have a duty to speak up. It remains the primary responsibility\u00a0of the facilitator<\/a> to protect all the meeting participants. It is NOT their job to reach down someone’s throat and pull it out of them. If participants have information to bear in a discussion, then it is their responsibility to share it. Participant involvement is their obligation, not simply their opportunity. Their silence speeds us up since we don’t have time to secure an audible from every participant on every point discussed in a meeting. Their silence indicates two positions that need to be stressed\u00a0by the facilitator, namely:<\/span><\/p>\n If either is not true, shame on them\u2014they are being paid to participate. If they cannot accept their fiduciary responsibility, they should work somewhere integrity is not valued.<\/span><\/p>\n People do not think causally. They think symptomatically. Two people eating from the same bowl of chili may argue over how “spicy” it is. Note, that they seldom argue about verbs and nouns. Rather they argue about modifiers (e.g., adjectives and adverbs). They subjectively<\/a> argue about spiciness. To one, the chili is hot. To the other, it is not. They are both right. A great\u00a0facilitator will get them to ‘objectify’ their discussion so that they both can agree that the chili is 1,400 Scoville Units. They don’t think Scoville Units however, they think ‘hot”. As facilitator you must challenge them to make their thinking visible<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n For video conferences, enforce a rule that prohibits people from turning off their live video stream. When hidden, no one has any idea what they are doing or if they are even listening. Dr. Tufte uses the term \u201cflatland\u201d to describe the two-dimensional view, such as the view of online participants on a screen. Working in flatland makes it difficult enough to observe nonverbal reactions. Culturally, you may need to get participants\u2019 permission to use this rule but don\u2019t back down. Enforce \u201cno hiding<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n Simply applying the ground rule Be Here Now<\/em> won\u2019t alone solve the problem, but it will help, especially if you take the time to explain everything it means to your participants.<\/span><\/p>\n To Be Here Now is infectious so lead the way. Arrive early and first. Watch your time closely and call breaks as needed. More is better so that participants can attend to their electronic updates. Most all agree that four 5-minute breaks during a morning session are better than one 20-minute break. Monitor them tightly however and do not allow leakage. Your group depends on you for their success.<\/span><\/p>\n We refer to other ground rules as ‘situational’. You will vary their use depending on meeting type<\/a>, participants, deliverables, and timing. Some secondary meeting ground rules we have found particularly effective are shown below. We don’t have space to discuss them all, but our favorites, based on frequency of use, are italicized:<\/span><\/p>\n Here is an entirely different set of ideation rules that should be used during the Ideation<\/a> step of the Brainstorming<\/em><\/a> tool. While covered in detail in another article, we are providing the list below for your convenience. With these ideation rules or any of the above ground rules, do not hesitate to contact us for additional explanations:<\/span><\/p>\n Ideation Ground Rules poster available at the MGRUSH<\/span> Facilitation Store<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n ______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Meetings must rise above the tiny opening of words and embrace the fullness of human insight\u2014through listening, visuals, stories, numbers, and symbols. The transformation begins not with tools, but in mindset. Leave your ego at the threshold, and step into the structures of meetings that get results.<\/span><\/p>\n In a world where everyone can engage in decisions that affect them<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Are you ready to transform how decisions are made, problems are solved, and alignment is built in your organization?<\/span><\/p>\n True meeting leadership goes beyond setting an agenda.<\/b> It requires a facilitator who can navigate complexity, balance voices, and drive toward outcomes with clarity and consensus. Our Professional Meeting Leadership Workshop<\/b><\/a> and facilitation training equips you to do just that\u2014blending human-centric methods<\/b> with structured analytical tools<\/b> to foster rigor, inclusivity, and results that stick.<\/span><\/p>\n Whether your meetings suffer from unclear objectives, disengaged participants, or decision fatigue, this workshop will help you identify the root causes<\/b>, apply proven facilitation techniques<\/b>, and emerge as the leader every team needs<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n Take the first step today\u2014transform your meetings and magnify your impact.<\/b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n ______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Click here to reserve your seat now.<\/b><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n #facilitationtraining #meetingdesign<\/i><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n ______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n![\"Ground](\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/GroundRules2.png\")
<\/a>1. Be Here Now<\/h3>\n
2. Consensus means \u201cI can live with it\u201d<\/h3>\n
3. Silence or absence implies consensus<\/h3>\n
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4. Make your thinking visible<\/h3>\n
5. No hiding<\/h3>\n
Be Here Now \u2014 Our Most Popular Meeting Ground Rule<\/h2>\n
Constantly Reinforce Be Here Now<\/em><\/h3>\n
Arrow\u2014<\/h4>\n
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Consciousness\u2014<\/h4>\n
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Leashes\u2014<\/h4>\n
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Punctuality\u2014<\/h4>\n
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Updates\u2014<\/h4>\n
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Consistently Demonstrate Be Here Now<\/h3>\n
Additional Meeting Ground Rules<\/h2>\n
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Brainstorming Ideation Rules<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Lead the Change\u2014One Meeting at a Time<\/b><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Because every meeting should be a catalyst for change\u2014not just another calendar event.<\/b><\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n
With Bookmarks no longer a feature in WordPress, we provide the following for your benefit and reference.<\/span><\/h4>\n
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