Meeting Planning “101”

1. Meeting Planning “101” Dr. Bob Vernon

2. General Planning Tips… Goals and Objectives: A meeting without goals and objectives is a waste of time… …or worse! Consider: Feasibility: Can it be done?Is the goal or objective feasible in terms of costs, resources and time available? Significance: Is it important?How valuable is the goal or objective for the group? Support and commitment: Do people really want it?How committed are the people? Spin-Offs: What surprises may happen?What can you anticipate? 

3. Value issues… Every meeting is laden with values and choices. Two categories for conflicts can be reasonably identified: 1. Personal value conflicts that are based on individual beliefs, experiences, and feelings. 2. Issue value conflicts that are based on cultural, economic, social and political preferences. The easiest way to insure a mess is to ignore value conflicts or confuse them when planning a meeting.

4. Some general survival tips… • Be absolutely clear on the purpose of the meeting. • Decide early-on whom you will need for help. Get it! • As a plan evolves, develop alternatives as well. • Allow enough advance time to make adequate preparations and arrangements. • Plan everything from the introductions to the good-byes. • Think through the timing and pace of the meeting and plan accordingly. • Carefully choose the location and have alternatives. • Select appropriate leaders that have compatible statusand style for their groups.

5. More general survival tips… • Be prepared for absences, unexpected guests, and late arrivals. • Try to anticipate confrontations in advance. • Consider the political implicationswhen dividing people into small groups. • Will special services or supports be needed? • What evaluation will you need? • What follow-up is necessary? • Will there be other meetings? • What can go wrong? Know your audience! Know your audience! Know your audience!

6. Selecting Meeting Rooms… Think of the room as a tool: the most important tool you need. Next to having a well-planned meeting, nothing is more important than the environment where the meeting will take place. Environment can make or break a meeting:any meeting.

7. Selecting Meeting Rooms… Sources: Suitable rooms can be found in many places. • Good sources for free or inexpensive places are churches, municipal buildings, schools, banks, and libraries. • Hotels and conference centers are more expensive but may be worthwhile for some types of meetings. • Try to select a site in the “population center” of the audience with easy transportation access. • Is the room culturally compatible with your audience?

8. Selecting Meeting Rooms… Access: The room should be easy to find and use. This includes available parking and access for disabled people. Plan accordingly, and be ready to stick signs and arrows up around buildings if necessary.

9. Selecting Meeting Rooms… Acoustics: In general, look for carpeted rooms with acoustic tiles. The harder it is to hear a whisper from across the room, the better! Are there possible problems with being distracted by others in the building? Solve in advance!!!!

10. Selecting Meeting Rooms… Flexibility: This is very critical. Avoid rooms with fixed chairs or too many tables to conveniently move around.

11. Selecting Meeting Rooms… Suitability to task: The tasks at hand determine needs. You will need tables if people are spreading lots of papers around… Windows are going to get in the way if lots of newsprint is going to be posted… Electronics always require additional planning and back-ups…

12. Selecting Meeting Rooms… Lighting: Try to find indirect or diffused lighting. This helps groups work longer without fatigue. Comfort: Where are the restrooms? Restaurants? Other facilities the group may need?

13. Setting up: Advance: • Always set the room up in advance. Plan on doing it yourself or have a trusted colleague do it. Never rely on janitors or building managers to get it right! They do not know what you need!N N N N N N N N

14. Setting up: Numbers: • In general, set up for the minimum number of expected guests plus a few more. Having to add chairs for new arrivals is a nice problem to solve in comparison with a sea of empty chairs and people lost within. • Exception: Larger formal conferences where getting additional seating is impossible.

15. Setting up: Safety and Security: • Know where the fire exits are. • Have an evacuation plan ready if needed. • Tape down loose wires when preparing the room. • Make aislesW I D E

16. Setting up: Staging areas: • Strive to have different areas within the room(s) set up for different functions such as registration, food, production activities. Places for leaders to congregate or small group circles for participants to work in or caucus may be needed. • Always stake out your own turf and take what you need! Do this first!!!

17. Materials and Supplies… NThis is NO time to try to find a Kinkos or Office Max!N Categories of materials to consider include: • Name-tags/I.D. badges/tents... LARGE! • Audio/Visual equipment such as projection video, laptops with disk back ups and screens… • Acoustical aides such as microphones and speakers... • Handouts, brochures, reports, party favors, etc. • Scratch pads, pencils… • Newsprint, fresh markers, dots, masking tape, easels… • Communications aides such as telephone, fax access, photocopier, internet connection… • Signs and posters… • Food...

18. Meeting Planning Form… Goals and Objectives: 1. The overall goal of this meeting is:(Cognitive? Affective? Behavioral?)______________________________________  2. Within this goal are the following specific objectives: A._____________________________________ B._____________________________________ C._____________________________________ D._____________________________________ E._____________________________________

19. Form, continued… Goals and Objectives, continued: 3. The "natural" order or sequence of these objectives is: (list)________________________________________ 4. The priority of these objectives is: (low to high)________________________________________ 5. Possible inherent conflicts between these objectivesare: ____________________________________  6. This goal and these objectives will be made understandable to all participants by: ________________________________________ 

20. Form, continued… Audience Information: 1. The desired audience is: (list all sectors or representatives)__________________________________  2. Plans for all participants must include:__________________________________ 3. Plans for new participants must include:__________________________________ 4. The anticipated attendance is between _____ and _____ number of people.  5. Specific publicity needed to reach this audience is:(Brochure? Letter? Public notices? Listservs? Phone trees?)_________________________________________

21. Form, continued… Audience Information, continued: 6. Specific needs or special problems with this audience are: (Access? Time of meeting? Daycare? Diet?)__________________________________________  7. Is a pre-meeting poll or sample of these participants needed?(If so, concerning which objectives or issues? If so, how? Via questionnaire? Interview?)__________________________________________

22. Form, continued… Meeting Format: 1.This is a ________________________ type of meeting.(Information? Decision-making? Idea-generating? Educational? Recreational?)  2. Possible events appropriate for this meeting are: (List possible events, i.e. introduction, lecture, small group discussions, etc.) Event Participation?A._____________________________ Yes NoB._____________________________ Yes No 3. The best sequence from #2 seems to be letters:________________________________________

23. Form, continued… Meeting Format, continued: 4. Looking over the above, the estimated time for the meeting is about __________ hours in total. 5. The types of leaders we'll need are: (List roles, such as chair-person, group leaders or facilitators, reporters, recorders, etc.)_________________________________________ 6. Additional resource people we'll need are: (guest experts, consultants, speakers, etc.)_________________________________________

24. Form, continued… Meeting Format, continued: 7. The environment for this meeting should be: (Set-up and seating pattern, traffic pattern, etc.) ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ Circle or Oval Lecture Herring Bone

25. Form, continued… Meeting Format, continued: 8. The following materials, tools, and resources needed by the leaders are: _________________________________________ 9. Materials, tools, and resources needed by the participants are: _________________________________________ 10. Unusual considerations, emergencies, or problems include:_________________________________________

26. Master Agenda and Timetable: If you can’t do anything else, DO THIS! Meeting Name:_________Time, Place, Date__________ Time: Who: Activity: Method: Needs: Allcases 8:00 Staff Sets up room, food, signs Bill 8:30 Starts registration DataBase LaptopN’ tagsPackets 9:00 Alice Opens session Address PAsystem

27. And remember:Know Your Audience!N