1. We refer to other ground rules as ‘situational’. Treat all meeting participants with the same respect you would want from them. These ground rules are usually best followed when you include the team in determining them. Ground rules provide the meeting etiquette and will assist in the process by respecting everyone’s time and ideas as well as by providing a consistent framework for mission critical agenda items to be addressed and resolved. You may also make up your own list of rules. Ground rules help remind the group to return to consensus. Rather than having a standard conversation about ground rules, try using this question instead.What could you do (or not do) today that would make you really proud of yourself?I was working with a team recently: a leadership team … This allows the group to focus on the meeting topic while having clear expectations for discussion. The manager of the team or the team's company sponsor or champion is included in the discussion and must agree to practice the relationship guidelines developed. If you’re hosting the call, make sure everyone is properly announced so that all attendees are aware of who’s on the line. At the time my team created the following set: No email or surfing the web. So strange. Ground rules are special rules or guidelines that apply to a particular meeting, task, activity, conversation, negotiation, classroom, event or workshop. You will vary their use depending on meeting type, participants, deliverable, and timing. Team ground rules define a behavioral model which addresses how individuals treat each other, communicate, participate, cooperate, support each other, and coordinate joint activity. Often, they reflect the culture of the team holding them. For example, research has identified three results that all leadership teams need to achieve: strong performance, positive working relationships, and individual well-being. Make sure your ground rules are culturally and socially acceptable. They are the definition of “how we behave together” in this team. Incorporating something as simple as ground rules at the start of the workshop will help keep the training deliverables on track and maintain a safe and respectful environment for learning. 2 Stay mentally and physically present Be prompt in arriving to the meeting and in returning from breaks. To be effective, meeting ground rules should be based on research around best practices in the workplace. At Agile 2007, I attended Jean Tabaka’s (author of Collaboration Explained) session “Why I don’t like Monday’s“, among other things she recommended establishing some ground rules for your team meetings. When setting meeting rules of conduct, listen to what each participant has to say too. Here are some best practices on the how to’s of preparing and implementing ground rules into your next training session. Please feel free to copy these rules and edit them as you wish for your team. It looks best if you implement them as a Wiki – but you can also just insert a tab with a Word document (if you want it to be easily editable) or a PDF document. Basic Ground Rules. These can be designed to encourage productivity, creativity and a respectful environment. When teams are brought together to solve issues or to work on a project it is a good idea during the initial meeting to set ground rules to be able to manage through future meetings. Workshop facilitators often establish ground rules at the beginning of the workshop. Ground rules also provide the structure that promotes the values of the company. Meetings will follow an agenda prepared by the leader or approved by members a day before the meeting … You can look over the list individually and then decide as a team, which ground rules you would like to use for your team. Most team rules examples are going to be a part of general virtual meeting etiquette. By Bob Phibbs. Posted by Kristin Arnold on September 8, 2020. Post the ground rules in a prominent place at every meeting. Refreshing Ground Rules for Zoom Meetings. Bad meetings are typically the result of a lack of a focus, agenda, or structure. Once you agree on a shared set of expectations, advertise these ground rules throughout the office and remind everyone at the start of each meeting. In the world before COVID-19, the default way to meet was by phone. To be effective, ground rules must be clear, consistent, agreed-to, and followed. Item Brief Description Project Mandate If there is an over-arching project from which the team’s creation was spurred. Secondary Ground Rules. But many ground rules undermine one or more of these results. In Ramsey County, Minnesota, the team decided to display a laminated poster of their ground rules during all policy team meetings. For example: testing technology, muting your microphone, and cleaning your room. Consider including organization or team values in your ground rules. A team should create and adopt written ground rules in the project planning stage. Technology is a wonderful thing but the (negative) impact it has had on meeting productivity is significant. For example, some teams point out when a team … They referred to the rules periodically to ensure that all members were clear about the expectations for conduct. The group's size and purpose can determine how ground rules are set. Team ground rules define a behavioral model which addresses how individuals treat each other, communicate, participate, cooperate, and support each other in joint activities. Meetings should always start with introductions. Teams commitment. Publish the ground rules in your meeting overview document sent at least a few days ahead. When a controversial disagreement arises in your meeting or facilitated session, the group looks to you as the facilitator to guide them through a process to gain consensus. Highlight important points in the text of the email to make sure they are not overlooked. Team Leader Responsibilities: The team leader is responsible for convening a meeting at a team member or faculty’s request. How can we effectively use ground rules? High-performing teams on the other hand take the time to get to know each other individually, take action to build trust across the team, work together to set clear goals, hold each other accountable for meeting these goals, and have a clear set of ground rules that define the required behaviors for the team. followed by meeting ground rules for the team. There was a time (not too long ago) when meetings didn’t have the challenge and distraction of ringing cell phones, beeping text messages, emails on laptops or news updates on IPads. To help you keep your meetings productive and professional, follow these seven simple etiquette rules and tips! Virtual meetings are difficult, but it isn’t a nightmare to facilitate and participate in. And one of the best tools you can use to make sure you stay productive is agreeing on a set of meeting ground rules. As a retail consultant, I'm called on to facilitate brainstorming, planning, team, culture, franchise training and the uncomfortable "things have to change" meetings. Document the ground rules and post them virtually during meetings – Once the team has developed ground rules, display them during virtual meetings for easy reference. If unable to attend, members will send a representative, inform the team, and request agenda items be deferred or submit comments if necessary. Effective Meetings: 9 Ground Rules For Success. Tip #3 Start the Call Right. That's why team ground rules are important to the functioning of any team. Ideally, ground rules are created and agreed to by the people participating in the meeting, because groups more easily accept and abide by rules they've set themselves. In large public meetings, we recommend that meeting planners provide ground rules created in advance. Facilitate the team meetings. Come to the meeting with a positive attitude. Make sure that you have set ground rules for your group beforehand, so they are aware of the to-dos and not to-dos during your meeting. Establishing team ground rules — collectively — that reflect desired norms of behavior can help serve as a self-policing method to overcome many typical team dysfunctions. Ground rules detail the code of conduct for a meeting, explaining the behavior that's expected of all meeting participants. See the Sample Team Norms . Within a few short months, that default has flipped to Zoom, MSTeams, GoToMeeting etc. 4. Encourage team members to hold each other accountable, and revisit the ground rules on a regular basis to make sure they’re still working. Here are sample process norms or group guidelines that a team might use to effectively … Team rules in the workplace are often more casual than cross-functional meetings or client meetings. The ground rules for your virtual meeting might include: ... Tools such as Google Docs are best for a work product execution meeting where a team will work at developing a deliverable. Ground Rules for Team Meetings. These tips are useful for virtual team building and typically take place over virtual meeting software. But even if you're no stranger to the remote way of life, it's still easy to fall victim to some major meeting faux pas. Team gatherings that lacked defined meeting ground rules. Virtual meeting etiquette is behavior rules for video meetings and conference calls. Virtual meeting ground rules and virtual meetings best practices correlate to offline meeting procedure guidelines. Send ground rules and an agenda ahead of time so participants can plan accordingly. By having more intentional meetings, you can increase the odds of improving your team’s workflow and … The list of ground rules for every organization or every meeting should not look the same. Refer to the ground rules at the beginning of each team meeting, during the critique, and during a team intervention. Virtual meetings function differently than physical meetings and require unique protocols. A colleague set up a phone meeting with me the other day – and it was so refreshing not to have to sit in front of my computer, … Some secondary meeting ground rules we have found particularly effective are shown below. These team norms or group ground rules are established with all members of the team participating equally. Provocative Ground Rules: Ground Rules to Address Key Issues. Try this at your next team meeting. Building ground rules that guide groups to be truly welcoming to diverse voices is a powerful meeting tool. Here are sample rules adopted by teams: Meetings will start and end on time. They may be used to define and standardize team procedure, use of time, work assignments, meeting logistics, preparation, minutes, discussion, creativity, reporting, respect and courtesyolving. Note: When the team is only going to meet for one specific purpose and/or a short amount of time, the facilitator can simply recommend a few ground rules and ask for agreement. The key to remember is that team ground rules must reflect the norms or expected behavior of team members. Be prepared to contribute to achieving the meeting goals. As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, virtual meetings have become an essential part of how modern businesses maintain productivity and continuity. Put the golden rule to work here: do unto other online meeting attendees, as you would have them do in your meetings. No matter the audience or size of group, people put up with a lot just because they don't set the expectations at the outset. That said, there are a variety of team ground rules that could be acceptable for your team. Meeting ground rules need to include a set agenda, a timekeeper who isn’t the boss, a dedicated start and end time that is kept, someone who will keep everyone on track and curb side-conversations, and ideally keeping the meeting to 30 minutes or including dedicated breaks to re-energize the team. No side conversations (via IM etc) Ground Rules: How To . Groups can create ground rules in advance of the meeting, or with the group at the meeting. 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