Conduct The Meeting

◦Take time to tell and hear stories. Be creative in how you share them.
◦Clarify and paraphrase key ideas.
◦Ask for different points of view; protect new ideas.
◦Use brainstorming techniques.
◦Record ideas and notes on a flip chart: ◦Use bright colors and bold shapes.
◦Use pictures, as well as text.
◦Use bullets to emphasize key points.
◦Use no more than 7 words per line and 7 lines per chart.
◦Keep all flip charts posted so that they can easily be referred back to.
◦At the end of the meeting, give them to the note taker so that they can be incorporated into the minutes.

◦Ask open-ended questions to encourage their input.
◦Keep the focus on ideas and objectives, not people.
◦Assign next steps throughout the meeting. Make all next steps specific assignments.
◦Stay focused on the agenda topics. Do wander off topic or become distracted. Agendas are worth taking seriously as long as they do not become personal. . . but do not stifle creativity or insult participants who stray.