Establishing Ground Rules for Meetings
by Susan Otto
 Have you sat through meetings where people come in late and leave early? Don’t you love it when one team member seems to go on and on and on…about the same topic at every meeting? Would you like to take a wrench to pry a response out of some team members’ mouths? If you’re like me, you’ve been in far worse meetings with far worse behavior. One tool that seems to help alleviate these issues is establishing a set of ground rules.
Ground rules are used to define how team members are expected to behave or function in a given situation – in this case, a team meeting. Ground rules are spoken, and usually written, assumptions about how team members are to work together. They need to be clear and explicit, and they need to be agreed upon by all.
Ground rules may be informal or formal, many or few in number, but they are very important. They set the stage for how team members will work together.
Ground rules are important because they:
- Eliminate confusion since everyone knows what is expected.
- Help to ensure that there is a reliable process for getting work done together.
- Help team members to work faster and with more focus.
Typical ground rules for meetings are:
- Start and end on time.
- All team members participate.
- All team members provide updates or progress.
- All updates are short and to the point – unless further detail is necessary.
- Determine when questions can be asked – hold all questions to the end of the meeting or ask questions as the meeting progresses.
- No digressing to other matters – consider using a parking lot.
- Determine when ideas and opinions can be contributed.
- Show respect by not interrupting.
- Ask for constructive feedback.
- Adhere to the specific timeframes for each agenda item.
Most ground rules can easily be adapted from a core few to meet the needs of all teams. For example, all teams want their meeting to start and end on time.
Some other ground rules to consider are:
- Recording meeting minutes. The recorder is responsible for recording, documenting, and distributing the minutes. The minutes are used for historical purposes, documentation, and assigning responsibilities agreed to during the meeting. Consider rotating this responsibility to different team members.
- Eliminating interruptions. Team members should check that their electronic devices are in the “off” position. Some teams require meeting interrupters to explain to the entire team why their interruption was so important, which is enough to make interruptions rare. Other teams have a “money jar,” where interrupters must place a dollar in the jar for every interruption.
- Allowing team members with limited involvement to present first and leave after their contribution.
- Minimizing or avoiding any side discussions.
- Assigning a timekeeper. According to Susan Stasiak in her article, Meetings: How to Waste Less Time and Get More Done, if meetings continue to run long or if you have difficulty being the disciplinarian, assign a timekeeper who can gently alert you and the team of the time as you go through each agenda item. This may not be needed if one of the ground rules is to run the meeting on time and all team members are responsible for seeing that this is accomplished.
Because the team members assigned to recording the minutes and keeping the time can often direct the flow of the meeting, careful consideration should be given in choosing who plays these roles.
At most meetings, we want team members active, thoughtful, vocal, and involved. At the very least, we want team members to acknowledge that they understand what’s being covered.
Just because someone suggested a particular ground rule does not mean that the team agrees. So, after each ground rule is listed, you need to get agreement. This may lead to some heated discussions. Be sure that every team member raises his or her hand. Never use nods as non-verbal agreement; it is better to get verbal agreement. Many times, we assume that people agree because they do not disagree. Ground rules are far too important to be “agreed upon” in this manner.
Once the ground rules are decided, rewrite the ground rules and display them at each meeting. You may want to have them typed up and given to all team members.
Keep in mind that ground rules may be altered, changed, or deleted over time. As the team changes, ground rules may change, too.
Regardless, it is the whole team’s responsibility – that means each team member’s responsibility – to see that the ground rules are followed by everyone.
To ensure that team members use the ground rules:
- Revise the ground rules, if they aren’t working.
- Have team members help enforce the ground rules.
- Have consequences for breaking the ground rules.
This isn’t just about writing ground rules; it’s about actually using them.
Even after a team has been up and running awhile, there is tremendous value in reestablishing or reviewing ground rules. Ground rule discussions can help to refocus work, especially if the team is stuck or is experiencing conflict.
Ensure that you get the most out of your meetings by getting the most out of the team members that are asked or required to attend them. Establishing ground rules shows that you respect your team members. Rid your meetings of futile assumptions; reach agreement on, display, and hold members accountable for following the team’s ground rules.
(For more information on creating effective meetings, check out Meetings: A Roadmap to Success eWorkbook at www.Self-StudyCourse.com.)
Susan Otto, the president of Training-Modules.com, LLC, is committed to effectively partner with organizations and their employees to achieve strategic initiatives necessary for organizational success. Susan designs customized facilitator and participant guides for companies that want to do their own internal training. Contact her at 859.292.0095 or email her. For information about Susan’s training modules, visit the Modules section of Training-Modules.com.
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