MediaSpace Wiki

Small Group Spring2006 Session26

Managing Group Meetings

• The process of a meeting

1. Before the meeting
   • Premeeting responsibilities
     • Leadership
       • set an objective
       • set an agenda or Meeting Design
         • what should we do
         • how should we do it
       • Decide who will participate
       • Make sure people have what they need to prepare in advance
       • Establish a place
         • Appropriate to group interaction
           • Quiet and set up so everyone can see each other
     • Group Members
2. During the meeting
   • Executing the meeting design
     • leaders should enable the meeting
       • keep things on track and moving
       • without being overbearing
     • deal with the subject
   • Keeping everyone involved
     • deal with the people
       • control the vociferous
       • draw out the silent
       • protect the weak
   • Keeping track of the meeting
     • Agenda visuals
       • Mind Maps
       • Lists
       • Comparison Tables
       • Pert Charts
     • Minutes
   • Overcoming obstacles
     • Meeting length
     • unequal participation
     • Cliques
     • Varying communication skills
     • Personal Conflicts
       • encourage the clash of ideas (but not of personalities)
   • close with a summary of accomplishment and a statement of what's next
3. After the meeting
   • Leadership
   • Group Members

A sample agenda

1. (15 Minutes). (Davis Foulger). Opening of meeting.
   1. Introduction of the idea of a Temporary or Contingent Faculty Caucus.
   2. Overview of planned agenda.
   3. Introductions of those present (or at least of the core set of people who will be presenting and/or leading discussions)
   4. Remarks by any senior NCA officers/officials who are present and have something to say. I have had some indication that both Roger Smitter and Art Bochner might be interesting in saying something. There may be others.
2. (15 minutes). (Open). Discussion of a proposed petition for unit status.
   1. Key issue: the type of unit designation sought. The three possibilities are division, section, and caucus.
   2. Key issue: the proposed name of the unit. The leading candidates are "temporary faculty" and "contingent faculty". I'm not aware of (or at least do not recall) any other proposals. AAUP's choice could be influential here, but this unit may have at least some localized goals that make a seperation with the AAUP selection desireable.
   3. Key issue: the scope of the unit. Again, we currently propose the scope as encompassing the titles of "adjunct professor, visiting professor, and instructor", but with the intention of covering "any annual and semester-to-semester term employment in the field" with the probably exclusion of graduate student in assistantships.
3. (45 minutes). Discussions of the proposed mission, goals, and activities of the unit. I suggest we break this portion of the meeting down into three discussions:
   1. (Paul Turpin). NCA advocacy goals that should be pursued in conjunction with the unit. I'll post a list of the issues that I think belong here in another message.
   2. (Open). Mutual advocacy goals that may involve cooperation with NCA but which are primary conducted by unit members. I'll post a list of issues that I think belong here in another message.
   3. (Open). Other goals. I'll post a list of issues that I think belong here in another message.
4. (15 minutes). (Davis Foulger). Election/selection of an organizing committee that will take responsibility for steering the initial petition through NCA, establishing bylaws, and (if all goes well) organizing a program at the 2006 NCA.