Put sticky notes on a wall and use them to build clarity
Put sticky notes on a wall and use them to build clarity
Free Facilitation Course: Simple tips for less terrible meetings
1. Setup roles and rules so that it feels like a game
1. Setup roles and rules so that it feels like a game
2. Define a time limit per topic to ensure you end up on time
2. Define a time limit per topic to ensure you end up on time
3. Use sticky notes to show where the discussion is
3. Use sticky notes to show where the discussion is
4. Create a parking space for new ideas and off topic elements
4. Create a parking space for new ideas and off topic elements
5. Use votes to not talk for hours about what's already obvious
5. Use votes to not talk for hours about what's already obvious
6. Make people work in smaller groups and then share the summary
6. Make people work in smaller groups and then share the summary
7. Separate the mindsets to make it less confusing
7. Separate the mindsets to make it less confusing
What you learned and how to make it stick
What you learned and how to make it stick
In meetings, instead of having one guy taking notes that are invisible to everyone else, I write keywords on sticky notes that I put on the wall where everyone can see them.
When there is a disagreement in the conversation the sticky notes are a great tool to make sure that people speak about the same thing. As the facilitator you can point to a sticky note on the wall and say: "Hey bob, I think you are speaking about this idea right? Great, but the feedback that Anna is giving is about this one, right Anna?"
It's much easier to have a physical object to point to instead of using just words sometimes. In my experience this has avoided a lot of misunderstandings and unneeded tensions.