Common situations in schools meetings:
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One person keeps reminding the group, over and over, about a pet peeve.
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The group spins its wheels, going over the same territory.
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Particpants are confused because of the overwhelming amount of material.
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Someone comes in late and the meeting starts over from the beginning.
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You flash on a idea but you forget it by the time you have a chance to
speak.
One solution to these types of problems:
Public Minutes, sometimes called the Group's Short
and Long Term Memory |
We each, as members of a group, have a memory of what is occurring and
has occurred in a meeting. The preparation of minutes, both short and long
term, help the GROUP have a memory as well.
We use the term public minutes- meaning they are displayed publicly
during the meeting- to describe the process of helping a group have a memory.
Short Term Public Minutes: Meaning minutes that are collected
and displayed during a meeting as part of the process of running a particular
meeting. These are often displayed in subsequent meetings as a way to ensure
continunity from meeting to meeting.
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Brainstorming lists that have been generated in meetings
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Weighted voting or Voting your dots process
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Group Fishbone diagramming
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Force Field analysis
Long Term Public Minutes: Meaning minutes collected over the history
of the group that help to facilitate the long range goals of the group
through their ongoing display during the meeting.
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Group agreements- including decision making process
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Decision making timetable
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Group decisions that have been made
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Any group mission or charge
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Of course, the actual printed minutes from a meeting.
Clues for successful Public Minutes:
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Flip charts are ideal
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Multi-colored markers are a must
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Sticky Dots are very usefully for visually surveying a group
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How we talk about public minutes increases the value
Published Minutes:
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Should reflect the goals and process of the agenda
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The language should be group specific rather then identifying individuals-
"A number of ideas were suggested" rather than "Ed said……."
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The should include –clearly identified- all decisions
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Next steps and responsibilities for the next meeting should be identified.
Updated, 11/24 |