Due: 13th June
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini
My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.
Most of today’s educational leaders are involved in at least 2-3 meetings every week, sometimes more. Therefore, it is now more important than ever to have the skills and strategies to run effective and efficient team meetings.
It is worth noting that poor team meetings, can readily turn into ‘talk-fests’, can lead to frustration, passive-aggressive behaviour, and potentially cause teacher discouragement and burnout. Therefore, as EMERGING leaders, leading high-performing team meetings is now a requisite/imperative to empowering your team and advancing your own leadership career.
Watch the below video for some helpful tips on how to lead an effective meeting:
Team norms and agreed ways of working: What we value around here
Effective team meetings also rely on ensuring the team has reached a consensus on how they will operate as a team. You might call this a code of conduct or your team norms. As we read in Module 2, teams go through a process of “Norming, Storming and Performing.” A way of fast-tracking your team towards ‘performing’ can be to deliberately and collectively create group norms then reflect on these together and bring the group back to the agreed-upon norms together when ‘storming’ occurs.
An example of some team norms could be as follows:
In __________ team we will:
The underlying actions and values:
Be open, honest and clear in communication
Always act in a professional manner
Communicate in an ‘above the line’ manner
Listen respectfully to others
Be open minded with regard to perspectives and decisions
All be involved in decision making and problem solving
Be united when a decision is made, even if we disagree
Support each other
Celebrate our successes, collectively and individually
Trust each other, assuming positive intent
Have clear roles and responsibilities
Make the most of everyone’s strengths
Be culturally responsive and respectful in all interactions
Ensure our team is safe and well organised so that teachers can focus on teaching.
The “nuts and bolts”:
Be on time for meetings and events
Send out the agenda 24hrs in advance and anyone may contribute to this
Stick to the agreed on meeting length
Follow up on any “homework” set at the end of the meeting in the agreed upon timeframe
In Summary:
As you can see, there are some key aspects of high performing teams and, therefore high-performance meetings:
- The team has clear goals and clear ground rules for achieving these goals
- The roles of each member are clearly defined and understood by everyone
- Members show support for each other and there is a high level of trust between them
- Team members are kept well-informed (e.g. through agendas and minutes)
- Conflicts or issues are dealt with openly and in a timely manner; but the team meeting may not be the place for this!
Provocation:
It is often said that meetings are an event where minutes are taken and where hours are lost. Noteworthy, the average teacher in New Zealand can spend more than 90+ hours per year in meetings. A key skill in a leader’s kete is the ability to run a staff/team meeting effectively and efficiently. There are many great techniques, skills, and ideas that leaders can implement to run effective team meetings.
Please take time to watch the above video whilst reflecting on your own practice and read and reflect on the links in the resources section before responding to the task below:
- Identify and describe the key take-away from the video that you will look to implement in your next team meeting.
- Share the most successful strategy that you employ to ensure a successful team meeting.
Resources:
Making Meetings Work (Usable Knowledge). Solutions to the common pitfalls that can sink a meeting — so educators can make the most of their collaborative time. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/05/making-meetings-work
https://www.nytimes.com/guides/business/how-to-run-an-effective-meeting
40 Responses
The video highlighted the importance of being organised which shows commitment to the department, teachers and akonga and the teaching practice. The importance of an agenda and allowing teachers time to process and a heads up prior is important. Checking in and giving a heads up makes perfect sense. The ‘clock’ and keeping our meetings on task and time bound is something I need to work on – to ensure I create trust. Our staffroom is organised by departments so we are able to connect and have quick discussions or ‘stand up hui’ to cover off anything that members of our team needs to discuss and clarify quickly. I will be sure to use the ‘parking lot’ strategy (acknowledge, explain, and follow up).
It sounds as if you found those points really useful Annette. Yes the ‘parking lot’ strategy works well. There are an awful lot of people who really need time to process and think through issues. All these strategies help.
There were many key takeaways from this very useful video. Thank you. Communicating clearly when a meeting will start, its duration and when it ends would definetly build credibility and respect. An important takeaway is the prewiring before a meeting with people who may be directly affected by information in a meeting. I liked the parking lot concept and will think more about using this at meetings where an idea is acknowledged and followed through at another time so as not to deflect from the meeting agenda.
The most important strategy that I would employ is to have an agenda that is well commuicated prior to the meeting. This ensures that myself. as the leader, is well prepared and has clear direction for the meeting but also that the attendees have an idea of what is be discussed and can prepare their thoughts or ideas.
I agree, Tania. A no-surprises policy is a great plan!
The key takeaway for me from the video was the “Parking Lot” strategy. Meetings are quite often hijacked or sidetracked by other things cropping up so this strategy – Acknowledge, Explain, Follow through – is a great way of getting meetings back on track. I liked that it made the steps quite clear with an explanation behind each.
Acknowledge that they are heard and their voice matters.
Explain that there may be a better time and place for this.
Follow through so that you are validating their comments.
I also liked the idea of having the agenda as a hard copy to note take. This would be beneficial to follow up on discussions and note down key conversations discussed in the meeting. It would also give our team responsibility to take the minutes, summarise the key notes and keep to the agenda.
The most successful strategy that I employ to ensure a successful team meeting is setting a clear agenda and sticking to it as much as possible. Also giving these out beforehand, to ensure everyone is prepared for the meeting.
Thank you for your thoughts, Kelly- Anne. Yes, an agenda is absolutely key to a successful meeting.
The key takeaway for me is to have the agenda sent out as a hard copy at least 24 hours prior to the meeting to ensure everyone is able to prepare themselves for what is to be discussed. They will be able to come to the meeting prepared, with questions, ideas etc. our team meeting minutes are on a google doc and I hadn’t thought to send them out prior. I will definitely be doing this in the future as I can clearly see the benefit. The other idea I thought particularly relevant is rewriting the agenda points as a question to be answered instead of topics to be discussed. If there is no question to be answered, you don’t need a meeting.
One of the most successful strategies is to have the meeting minutes displayed on the whiteboard so that team members are not looking at their computer screens but are encouraged to actually take part in the discussions.
Bronwyn, the idea of having the meeting minutes displayed on the whitboard is a great idea thank you.
My key takeaway from Marshall’s video was to “follow up” on staff meetings. I currently take notes and assist our Principal with running the meeting as needed – I’ve started assigning actions to colleagues on the Google Doc, articulating these verbally, and following up as needed – it is very satisfying indeed to “tick” an action item and see it disappear.
The most successful strategy that I employ to ensure fruitful staff meetings is to connect with my colleagues as much as possible leading up to the meeting. We are a small staff at a small school – so kanohi ki te kanohi “pre-wiring” is manageable. One teacher tends to email me, two other teachers, our office manager and our two teacher aides prefer to kōrero with me.
Great stretegies Claire touching base with staff leading up to staff meetings and post staff meetings following up with assigning actions to staff.
A key takeaway for me was the parking lot strategy – acknowledge – explain – follow through. It is a great way to address add-in comments/thoughts/ideeas in the hui. It allows making sure the person feels heard. However, it parks the comment/discussion/idea for a later time. I would also include a timeframe for the discussion so everyone is on the same page regarding expectations.
One of my most successful strategies has been to share the agenda, in a reasonable time frame, before the hui. I know, that we are all busy and usually tired by the end of the day. Therefore if people have had a chance to look over the minutes and contribute their ideas beforehand they can be ready to discuss them at the hui. Another strategy I have found successful is to include kai. This tends to get everyone revived after a long day. My final strategy links to my leadership style, I believe in building relationships within the team and that this builds trust. So I make time in our hui to make connections. We share ‘what’s on top’ for us or ‘favourite…..’ or ‘when I was a kid I wanted to….’ these types of questions encourage the team to open up and share a little about themselves. If not a question we play an online kemu – https://artsandculture.google.com/play – and have a laugh. This doesn’t have to take long but is an essential part of team building.
I like that you include and fun, and kai…literally “food for thought” for our meetings at my kura!
Jackie I really like how you provide time in meetings to make connections, provide kai and have fun. All great strategies in building trust and showing that you value your staff.
There are a lot of key takeaways from this video, and one of them for me would be to ‘Follow-up’. We can easily organise meetings and hui but tend to forget the next steps that should be taken after the meetings, which is to follow up and follow through on actions needing to be taken/done.
An example of this is during restorative conversations and meetings with students. Often, the first restorative meeting will take place and everyone is present, but the follow-up process is what I lack the most in this area, and is something that needs to occur more often. Following up allows for further reflection from students and staff involved, and it allows for the facilitator to reflect on the processes and what could be improved for next time. It also allows for celebrations to be made of courage and bravery from those affected, and their journey into healing and moving on. This is a key takeaway that I will be more aware to do in the next restorative conversation/meeting that I have with students/staff/whānau.
I am so pleased that you found something to take away given the large number of meetings you must be having with all your different roles currently. I feel people don’t mind meetings when something worthwhile comes out of them so this is a good work on.
A key takeaway from this video that I would like to implement is to have a hard copy of the agenda and also to take notes myself. I find that I can’t cope with silence in meetings and will naturally fill the gap. Taking notes would stop me from talking so much and also support me to follow up later.
The most successful strategy I use to ensure a successful team meeting is having the meeting agenda shared in advance and sticking to the time set. I often watch the clock to keep us on track or to prioritise items on the agenda to ensure we stick to the agreed time.
What a great strategy to allow others the space to talk, and get them thinking and contributing.
A great video to highlight how meetings should be run!
At the start of the year at our kura, we talk about ‘carpark chat’ and how unhelpful these ‘gossips’ can actually be. Our leadership team are very open and always have an open door policy for things to be discussed should they arise. We used to have team meetings as whole staff and then syndicate every week – they were so ineffective on our time and after discussions and suggestions, we now run PD whole staff meetings in weeks 4 and 8 which everyone is expected to attend. They are always good because they have a set agenda and we know what we are going to be learning etc. Every other odd week we have a syndicate meeting on a Tuesday. There is always an agenda and these are generally stuck to pretty well. If the meeting wavers, it is quickly brought back into the ‘now’. On even weeks we have a ‘planning and assessment’ syndicate meeting where we have time to plan together and discuss any assessment that needs acknowledgement.
I would say, we do get our minutes in advance and there is always room to add things for discussion so they can be seen and acknowledged either before or at the meeting.
I think something that is missing from the video is snacks 🙂 – a great staff meeting always has snacks haha.
A key takeaway for me would be to take notes yourself. It is always easy to rely on the minutes but some of the ‘chat’ would be missed in the minutes and sometimes that chat might needs some attention after the meeting.
Femke I really like the restructure of your Team and Staff meetings which is more effective. I agree snacks is a good thing to have available. A little way to show appreciation and valuing staff. Marshall was always good at this.
Key takeaway: follow up. While I do this with some meetings/groups, it’s normally on an ad-hoc basis rather than part of my processes for running meetings. This was good reinforcement of something that should be happening regularly. I know sometimes I leave meetings and completely forget what I have said I’ll do, or been directed to think about – and it also will allow for staff who are absent from hui to be caught up.
The things that I do that work for me vary depending on the types of meetings. One strategy that has been working really effectively for me and the other ASLs in our Kāhui Ako recently is assigning everyone a task prior to the hui. So, for example, I’m facilitating our culturally sustaining teaching and learning hub in a week, so on Monday all hub members will get an email with slides and a broad agenda (to be added to) and then will have some time to basically update us on how their inquiry is going (one thing that’s going well, one challenge). What we’ve found is that this gives the WSLs way more accountability for what they’re doing – and way more ownership over the process. We have taken this from our across-kāhui ASL hui where the facilitator does the same thing; it certainly makes us feel accountable and ensures we’re looking at what the meeting focus is and what we might need to bring with us or think about ahead of time to make best use of our time.
This module has huge application for where you are currently Aimee so I am pleased you’ve been able to identify some key ideas to implement which I am sure will make a huge difference to the effectiveness of your meetings.
The key takeaway from me would be the ‘follow up’. Like everything we do, we move on to the next thing and the reinforcement of what we agreed upon is key.. I was able to put this into practice this week with a follow-up email confirming the main action points raised. I received some immediate feedback and I feel that those concerned genuinely appreciated that it had been acknowledged. This is something I will remember to do moving forward.
I send the agenda pre-meeting, which gives the team an opportunity to prepare for the meeting. There are times when I do neglect to do this so another timely reminder here.
I am going to invest in an old-school timer for meetings which is visible to all as well as a desk bell and Gavel! I feel that this will keep us on track in those meetings where we often go way off task.
Marshall’s Parking lot is also something which I am keen to test out in my next meeting.
It’s good to see that you already had some good meeting practices with meetings and that you’ve been able to not only gain some new ideas from the resources but have put them into practice and have had time to reflect on their efficacy.
I thought that using a hard copy agenda (as well as digital) for team meetings was a good idea.(no surprises). On paper you could underline, leave short notes, highlight main points, mark reminders, references for later etc. This would help in keeping to the agenda. Any suggestions or additions to the agenda during actual meeting time, although acknowledged and appreciated as suggested, they would have to wait until the next upcoming meeting. The lead teacher taking notes as well as the minute taker, was another good tip.
At our next meeting, I tried the above suggestions. The team I believe seem to prefer the actual hard copy for all of the above reasons. While the meeting was in progress, some suggested topics unrelated to the meeting agenda, were given. Although still valued and appreciated, the team were happy to postpone our discussion and responses on these matters for a later time, until the next meeting. If they had of been of needing immediate attention, we would have made provisions for another meeting to take place sooner. Having a meeting timeframe with a beginning and ending time, was appreciated and kept the momentum and focus high. Nobody likes to waste time or have things drag on unnecessarily. All in all, some worthwhile ‘key points’ we shared with this video on ‘Leading Team Meetings’.
The key takeaway for me from the video was the follow up. It is something I’ve never thought about doing, I suppose because I feel like I don’t want to pester or nag my team? Following up with them 24hours later to reiterate what we discussed and next steps would definitely minimise rehashing over the same things during the following meeting.
In the reading, I really liked the bit about silence and that silence is ok. I realise that I do this strategy in my classroom, allowing my students space to think and process what is asked of them – so why don’t I do this in my meetings? My team is tiny so they really have no choice BUT to answer my questions, but perhaps if I let the silence sit for a while longer then I won’t be the one jumping in to help give them solutions or tell them what to do.
The most successful strategy I use in a meeting (other than the odd free coffee) starting with a clear agenda. I will always touch base with my team the day or 2 before our meeting time and we usually have a very set number of things to discuss, these don’t tend to change from week to week, so I find it easy to bounce from one thing to the next quite efficiently, and my team know what we are going to discuss each meeting.
It sounds as if you already have some good meeting practices Olivia but are not afraid to take some new suggestions on board. Yes silence can be a very useful tool!
The key take-away for me was making sure an agenda is set prior to the meeting, at least 24 hours, which allows team members to prepare and guides you to stay on track. Provide a hard copy as well. Ensure the meeting starts on time and aim to finish at the agreed time.
After reading the articles, I looked at some different strategies to encourage engagement from everyone. We used talking sticks, 3 given out to each staff member. Everyone was encouraged to use up their sticks by placing one down each time they contributed to the discussion. This also made people reflect on much they may have dominated discussions. I encouraged them to write down their ideas if they had used up their sticks and could add these at the conclusion of the meeting. This was well received by most staff members, something we are keen to try with our students. This module has been very timely as I was asked to lead our recent teacher only day as our principal was away sick. Grateful for the helpful information.
Sheree I’m pleased the module was timely and helpful for you in running a staff meeting in the absence of your Principal. Love the talking sticks idea, which I am keen to use as I have a couple of members in a group I run that tend to dominate discussion.
I would really like to try the “talking stick” strategy with my class!
The key takeaway for me was to have the agenda as a hard copy to note take. This will be beneficial for me to follow up on discussions and note down key conversations discussed in the meeting. Also this will give our team responsibility to take the minutes, summarise the key notes and keep to the agenda.
The successful strategy that I have implemented in team meetings is keeping to an agreed time. At the start of my role I didn’t include the timeframe of our meetings but have more recently communicated this to my team. I believe this has been really effective as everyone sticks to the agenda and it stops members going off on a tangent! Also following up with any discussions or concerns from this meeting in an informal manner, I believe has been helpful building a positive team culture.
You are so right, Lucy! Having an agreed-on time frame can really help us to stick to discussing what is important.
There are many key take-aways from the video shared. There are times where staff members will deflect from the agenda, so the concept of the parking lot is something I will look at implementing with our next hui, by acknowledging the idea that has been tabled and following through with that staff member.
The most successful strategy that I’ve used to ensure a successful team meeting is setting a clear agenda with defined objectives, and having these distributed beforehand, to ensure everyone is prepared for the hui. Also, providing food definitely helps lifts spirits at the end of a long day. Starting with and ending with karakia is another key factor to ensure our hui is productive.
Definitely, Linda. We can so often get sidetracked and go off on tangents. Those tangental things may well be very important so the parking lot values them, whilst not derailing your meeting.
The key takeaway from the video that I will implement in my next team meeting is the concept of utilising structured techniques to engage all team members actively. This could involve using methods like round-robin discussions, breakout groups, or interactive activities to ensure everyone has an opportunity to contribute and participate fully. By fostering an environment where all voices are heard and valued, we can enhance collaboration and problem-solving within the team.
One of the most successful strategies I make sure I follow to ensure a successful team meeting is setting a clear agenda and sticking to it. By sending out the agenda in advance and allowing team members to contribute to it, everyone knows what topics will be discussed and can come prepared. During the meeting, I ensure that we stay focused on the agenda items and avoid getting sidetracked by unrelated discussions. This helps us make the most of our time together and ensures that we address important issues efficiently. I usually send it out the night before now I want to try 48hours before.
Sorayah I really appreciate the engagement methods you use to ensure all members participate, are heard and valued. So impowering.
A few key takeaways for me during the video were sharing the agenda as a hard copy with more of a specific timeframe rather than only as a doc online. Also, the role of giving somebody else the responsibility to be the note-taker. This ensures that all participants are aware and involved in what’s to come and having the specific timeframes restricts conversations going off in a tangent.
In the reading, I liked the part about the quiet. If the group stays quiet, check-in. Ask, “Why is it quiet? Are you all thinking? Confused? Not interested?” You might realise they’re not clear about the question, or that they’re distracted by another issue. This helps to gain a deeper understanding of what’s going on or your direction hasn’t been clear. Count to 10 was another strategy I liked, I find that often as teachers we fill the void by talking about solutions. Giving 10 seconds will also encourage those who need more processing time to speak up – this is supportive of building team confidence.
A successful strategy that we have already got is that we are organised and everybody has access to the meeting doc/minutes in advance, there is a space for everybody to add to the doc if they have any pressing matters that need to be discussed at a team level. We also have our MATES Agreement which means that we know how others like to be approached and strategies to avoid it – this supports when sensitising team members as we know how to best approach a topic that may require them being ‘aware’ of rather than it being a surprise.
Thank you for your response Wiki. While you already have some very good practices it sounds as if you’ve been able to add some other useful ideas to your arsenal as well.
I also like the part about “quiet” in meetings. A quick check-in could avoid misunderstandings. Also, I need to remind myself that I don’t need to fill the void…patience is a virtue!
The video highlighted the importance of having a clear and detailed meeting agenda to enhance the productivity and focus of team meetings. The key take-away is to create and share an agenda with specific topics, objectives, and time allocations prior to the meeting. This ensures that all participants are prepared and aware of the discussion points, leading to more structured and efficient meetings.
One of the most successful strategies I use to ensure a successful team meeting is providing a overview at the start of the meeting and delegating specific roles to team members, such as a note-taker, timekeeper, and facilitator.
Excellent, Rowie. Teachers are so time poor that these strategies to increase productivity are vital!