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Your Recipe for Success:
Meeting Guidelines

Use meeting guidelines to achieve respectful group behavior. Meeting guidelines are a great assist in helping people work together effectively toward their meeting objectives. Consider the behaviors of group members to create meaningful guidelines.

What behaviors can be a problem or a distraction? Ask the group for input in adjusting or adding to the 5 to 7 guidelines you propose. Your guidelines may include one or more of the following:

1. Begin and end on time.
2. Provide honest and respectful information and feedback.
3. Maintain confidentiality regarding meeting issues.
4. Be flexible in moving in and out of the agenda according to the needs of individuals in the group.
5. Listen carefully and responsively.
6. Refuse to use Junk Talk^sm. (Junk Talks includes swearing, put-downs, complaining, gossip, unfair humor, etc.)
7. Enjoy humor, but don’t let it control the meeting.
8. Be open-minded to different ideas.

Encourage members to hold one another accountable and even reward other members for participation (chocolate is a meaningful motivator!).

If a guideline is not followed, the group is reminded of its original commitment by the leader or facilitator. However, effective and successful meetings are the responsibility of all in attendance, not just the designated leader.

Want a fun, clever way to ensure guidelines are followed? Try this: Allow and encourage participants to throw foam balls at the “offender” when a guideline is broken. Invite participants to reward each other with candy when guidelines are honored.

Meeting guidelines enhance respectful behavior towards individuals and within the group.