by Tony Jeary
What: Clear guidelines and ground rules are a way of creating standards for the way a meeting, training session, or presentation is to be handled.
Why: Standards allow complicated matters to be dealt with in an organized way and keep controversy over process matters to a minimum. They also set the tone for the meeting. The right tone gets people to perk up and listen, absorb, and contribute.
How: Here are ten guidelines that add up to a successful session.
Start on Time: Welcome the group warmly and set the tone for the event.
Review the Agenda: Clear Desired Outcomes frame the work for the group.
Set the Ground Rules: Agreements early will save time and keep you on track later.
Address Housekeeping Issues: For sessions longer than an hour or so, people need to know when breaks will be taken and where restrooms and phones are located.
Enlist Participants in the Task at Hand: You need the group to get the work done. See our prior articles on involvement, engagement, and facilitation.
Work the Agenda and Stay on Track: Your agenda is like building blocks; finish each step and then go to the next.
Closeout Topics When Agreement is Reached: Don't “sell past the close”. When you have an agreement, move on.
Document Agreements and Action Plans: When a topic is finalized, create a “who does what by when” table to help clarify and move from “good idea” to Action.
Close With Confidence: Recap accomplishments and evaluate the session so your next one will be even better.
End on Time: Remember to thank the group and support staff for their work.
Benefits: Establishing ground rules for participants will get the group to actually help you achieve your desired outcomes.
Master presenters establish and use these and other guidelines to assure that each event they are involved in meets their high standards for quality and effectiveness.
Your reputation will go up with continued use, and you'll be pleased with the results you obtain from every presentation or meeting.
Action Plan: Adopt your own set of guidelines, based on the above, and let your team know that you plan to implement them for the next session.
Run your next event using your guidelines, and do a formal evaluation. See what people say about your process and adjust your guidelines (or execution) accordingly.
After a few successful trials, institutionalize the basic guidelines and consult with your team on further improvements.
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