Effective meetings
Groups have a certain dynamic that can make a meeting ineffective. A facilitator can help ensure the meeting runs smoothly, but you don’t always have one available. It’s more powerful if the group itself can recognize its own dynamics and learn how to adjust them for more effective meetings.
A tool you can use for this is “facilitator cards.” These are cards with tasks designed to bring about positive changes in the effectiveness of a meeting. Tasks on the cards can include things like “ensure input from others” or “come up with new ideas.” Here’s how it works:
- Agree that a specific topic will be discussed using the facilitator cards.
- One of the group members takes on the role of facilitator and gets the set of cards. With these cards, the facilitator can influence the behavior of other participants without having to say anything.
- When the facilitator sees that a conversation or discussion is becoming ineffective, they give one or more cards to one or more participants. For example, someone who is talking too much gets the task “ask questions.” Another person gets the task “work towards a solution.”
- Participants are expected to engage with their assigned task.
- By giving out tasks timely and wisely, the facilitator can improve group effectiveness and help the group quickly reach a consensus or result.
You can create your own cards with tasks. This makes interventions more effective and fun. If you find this challenging, you can use a ready-made set of facilitator cards available in our digital resources.
