A meeting is
any time two or more people come together to accomplish
something in particular. What is achieved depends greatly
on how you plan in advance, interact with leaders and
participants, set the stage for the work ahead, adjust
your strategy as needed, and bring closure.
Guidelines
for Facilitation
The following
(adapted from Enlightened Leadership)
provides guidance in these areas.
Establish a strong partnership with the leader or chairperson:
Make sure that both of you mutually agree on what your
objectives are, how they will be accomplished and how
you will be working together.
Explain
your role and responsibilities to the group: Clarify
what you will do, what you will not do, and how you will
help them achieve their objectives.
Focus
your attention on the goals of the group: Don't
let fear, nervousness or other emotions keep you from
serving the group's needs and don't let your facilitation
skills serve as a vehicle for your personal and professional
growth.
Always
use a systematic approach: At the beginning of
every meeting or training session, state the purpose of
the meeting or program, review the agenda and then clarify
roles.
Test
frequently for understanding of basic assumptions and
agreements: This will help to avoid misunderstandings
as you work through the process.
When
necessary, just say "no": If an assignment
is not a good opportunity for you to provide service,
turn down the request to facilitate. If all you are going
to do is write-up the minutes of a meeting, handle other
administrative tasks, or serve as a vehicle for the chairperson's
desire to pursue a hidden agenda, decline the opportunity
to facilitate. If you can't say no, make a counter offer
by suggesting what you can and should do.
Meeting Enhancers
When we begin,
end and keep the meeting on track, value can be added
to the quality of the meeting and the results produced.
This leads to high levels of trust and cooperation (Butler).
Openers:
Reinforce What Is Important
The following
questions suggest ways that any meeting can be started
and can build a foundation of trust, openness and cooperation:
Best
Education 
What are BEPs?