when the meeting facilitator is the interrupter

[Zoe Girl]

it has been a few days since a committee meeting and i am getting the full impact of how it went. i do some facilitation work and so this comes from having been in multiple roles, the interrupting was horrible. the supervisor in this meeting has said she is supposed to do less deciding and more facilitating, but that is not her strength. i feel there are major issues that we have not been able to talk about that will impact if the work of this committee even lasts a year, however the others cannot even listen long enough to realize we missed something. argh

before the next meeting i have to talk to her, i am thinking about asking for 5 minutes on the agenda (we really didn't have one) for the important topic i need to bring up, and during my 5 minutes i am capable of respectfully holding my space.

[Packy]

My thought is, what you kids need to do is hold more meetings. The more meetings you have, the more time you will have to discuss these delicate issues. Plus, always serve lots of food at those meetings. That will keep them interested. How about that? Thankk Mee.

[Lainey]

Can you rotate the role of meeting facilitator? My guess is that she'd probably be glad to be relieved of that chore, and it sounds like others would be glad if she was not facilitator either. If she's not clueless she'd also realize the meetings are better run by a good facilitator, and more gets done.

[Zoe Girl]

Good idea Lainey, She already responded to my email that I needed about 5-10 minutes to talk about some aspects she does not already know about. So that is good, I could ease that into a rotating person in charge of the agenda and facilitating. I think it is a combo of personality and having such a huge job to get done that we feel pressure to get through it.

[sweetana3]

Having no agenda is a big red flag. It generally means not much will get done or only the bullies will get to talk about their topic.

[catherine]

Having no agenda is a big red flag. It generally means not much will get done or only the bullies will get to talk about their topic.

+1
You absolutely have to have an agenda. Doesn't guarantee it will be be honored, but it will definitely help direct the meeting, especially if the agenda is circulated in advance and there are timings allotted to each agenda item..

[IshbelRobertson]

Couldn't agree MORE re timed agendas. Something I insisted on for meetings I chaired! IME Educationalists are probably the worst for loving the sound of their own voice!

[Zoe Girl]

i agree, i run meetings that way and most of the groups i work with on my own and professionally, i did get a positive response to being first and get some time on my topic and now i am making some notes because i need to be very effective with this.

ishbel, yes!! the worst one was a meeting with the principal in the middle of the day, the kids were done with specials and people were calling us on the walkies to ask where we (the teachers) were. i kept telling the principal in this meeting and she just was NOT listening, so i left and got my class and later heard i was rude for leaving. STILL no one heard or saw the time to get the kids, sigh, teachers really love to listen to themselves,

[IshbelRobertson]

My experience in education covers both FEIs and HEIs, but dealing with schoolteachers re my children was the most difficult. Many spoke to me at length and with real condescension, until they realised i was in the same profession, but at a university.

[Packy]

Donuts. Good Donuts=Good Meetings. Just be sure to have more than enough.