Meeting Best Practices

On this page:
Better Meetings
Facilitation best practices
List of UC ANR Facilitators

Better Meetings
A meeting is where people come together to resolve problems, answer questions, make decisions, network, and share knowledge - learn details on this Better meetings fact sheet (PDF). Best meeting practices include that participants and facilitators:

• Are respectful
• Seek solutions
• Seek to build bridges and synergy, 
• Seek to understand others' needs and support each other's efforts
• Listen 
• Have a safe space to raise challenging issues
• Are flexible (and move on or pivot as needed)
• Provide honest (respectful, helpful) feedback

If you need support for complex meetings contact one of our UC ANR Trained Facilitators for availability. 

Build wellness into your meeting agenda. Find out more on Healthy Meetings (PDF) tips from the UC ANR Staff Assembly.

Create a meeting agenda
An agenda helps meetings be more focused and effective. Details can be found here - Have an agenda fact sheet (PDF).

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Using technology during meetings. Technology, when used well, can enrich learning and engagement. For facilitation and collaboration work, technology can be used before, during and after the meeting or event - for more read Using technology Fact Sheet (PDF).

Live polling in meetings
Live polling during a meeting fosters engagement by encouraging participants to actively contribute their opinions in real time. It also provides immediate feedback, enabling facilitators to gauge understanding and adjust discussions accordingly. Below is a list of a few polling platforms - all require a smartphone or computer/tablet. Note: These are just options and no endorsement is implied - Many others also exist. There is no implication if we haven't included other options.

Slido
Poll Everywhere 
Mentimeter 
Meeting Sift 
Retroboard 

Build Trust
Building trust is critical in successful extension. It is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or dependability of someone or something. In Extension, trust is crucial because it fosters credibility—people are more likely to act on your recommendations when they trust you. For a more in depth look readh the Build trust fact sheet (PDF) or watch the Build Trust Video (3:08).

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Facilitation best practices

A good facilitator
A good facilitator fosters meaningful dialogue, broadens the group’s perspective, elicits clear ideas and conclusions, ensures full participation from all members, and encourages collaboration to achieve shared goals.

Facilitation involves "making things easier" by guiding groups to make decisions, achieve results, and ensure inclusive participation. It prevents dominance by a few individuals and ensures that outcomes are clearly documented and shared. Read more on this Facilitation Fact sheet; (PDF) and watch this brief Video (2:47).

Creating a meeting facilitator checklist before a meeting is beneficial because it ensures the meeting runs smoothly, efficiently, and achieves its intended purpose. Learn the details on this fact sheet Facilitation checklist (PDF). 

Process vs Content. Understanding the difference between process and content will help structure meetings, reduce difficult situations and help your work be more effective. Details here Process versus Content Fact Sheet (PDF).

The stages of discussion - understanding them will help your group processes and work be more effective and move towards decision-making. Learn more here Stages of Discussion Fact Sheet (PDF).

Stakeholders - Identifying various potential stakeholders will improve the likelihood of successful project/meeting outcomes, help you plan appropriately, and be more effective in your work. More can be found here Stakeholder analysis Fact Sheet (PDF).

ORID Method - is a simple method that could be beneficial as you use “reflective practice” to help improve your campus diversity practices. Details are available in The ORID Method Fact Sheet (PDF).

Interaction Skills
Active listening is a key component of effective collaboration, providing a clear method for understanding participant input. It requires attentively listening to others' ideas without rushing to form a response, summarizing contributions for clarity, and seeking clarification when necessary. More can be found here - Active listening Fact sheet (PDF).

Culturally responsive facilitation recognizes and engages participant’s culture and prior knowledge in order to connect new ideas and concepts to what one already knows. It will also assist in the building of relationships and help your work be more effective. Read more - Cultural competency Fact Sheet (PDF).

Engage participants - Having participants engaged improves learning and creates stronger working relationships, processes and results, and helps your work be more effective. Increase engagement Fact Sheet (PDF). Here is a video presentation on Focused conversations for better meetings  WebANR (26 mins) and slide deck (PDF).

Thinking & Learning Styles - Understanding the ways individuals process information and learn will improve learning transfer, communications, building of relationships, dealing with difficult situations and help your work be more effective. Read more here - Thinking and learning styles Fact Sheet (PDF).

Getting to output 
Establishing and documenting key agreements enhances the effectiveness of your work by promoting better group processes, such as workshop guidelines. It also provides agreed-upon expectations to navigate challenging situations, like behavior standards. Learn about the three steps to an agreement in Building Key Agreements Fact sheet (PDF).

Decision making methods. Identifying the appropriate decision making method will clarify expectations, build relationships and help your work be more effective. For more information check out the fact sheet Decision-making Methods (PDF).

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Desired Outcomes are clear statements of expected results and are developed from the overarching purpose or goals of the group. They involve the who (participants, decision makers, etc.), the how (create, apply, rank – action verbs), and the what (list, resume, samples – content). Review the Desired outcomes Fact sheet (PDF) for more information.

Handling difficult people

Difficult behavior mitigation. Prevention and intervention techniques can reduce difficult behaviors and help your work be more effective. Helpful details can be found in this fact sheet Dealing with Difficult Behavior (PDF).

Confict competence. Adopting tools for reducing and managing conflict are will help you to create a safe environment for participants, and provide ways to make your work/meetings more effective. Delve into this fact sheet - Tools to Reduce conflict (PDF).

UC ANR Facilitator Contact List

Many ANR people have facilitation training and experience and may be available to help you with your next meeting. Check with them regarding availability, travel reimbursement, recharge or fees.

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