FACILITATING AND CONDUCTING STAFF
MEETINGS
(sfacstf.doc)
Desired Outcome:
Effective, meaningful, fun staff meetings that
use the team as a constructive problem-solving force in a safe, trusting
environment.
Measurement:
Review of the Meeting Evaluation. Feedback
from staff and doctor.
1.
Schedule staff
meetings six months at a time.
2.
Enter "staff meeting"
in the appointment book and block off the needed time.
3.
Implement a 3-ring
binder note system for each staff member to keep all of their meeting notes.
4.
Maintain a
"secretary's" book containing all of the master agenda forms and notes from
the meetings for future reference.
1.
Encourage the
responsibility of facilitating staff meetings to be a shared duty. Ask staff
members take turns as �facilitator.�
2.
As a group, agree on
the ground rules for staff meetings. For instance:
A.
Written agenda format.
B.
One person speaking at
a time.
C.
Starting and ending on
time.
D.
Promptly responding to
the lead of the facilitator.
E.
Promoting a safe,
trusting environment by avoiding sarcasm, put-downs, and finger pointing.
3.
Identify clearly and
discuss the responsibilities of the facilitator. For instance: (Refer to
the following pages for instructions pertaining to these items.)
A.
Preparing for the
meeting.
B.
Conducting the
meeting.
C.
Acting as a mediator,
if needed.
D.
Encouraging
participation.
E.
Maintaining an
environment of trust, respect, and safety.
1.
Confirm the time and
location of the meeting with all participants.
2.
One week before the
staff meeting:
A. Decide on the educational segment.
B. Distribute Agenda sheets (found in the Forms Section of this book) to all staff members and to the doctor.
3.
Two days prior to the
meeting, collect the agenda sheets from everyone and prepare a master agenda.
4.
One day prior to the
meeting, give all staff members a copy of the master agenda, even if they will
not be attending.
1.
Define the objective
of the meeting and solicit a commitment from everyone to achieve that goal.
2.
Set time limits for
discussion of agenda items to ensure all meeting goals and objectives are met.
3. Redirect the group and keep them goal-oriented, if the meeting gets sidetracked. Try saying, for instance: �It seems we�re getting off-track. Let�s focus on the issue which I understand to be ...�
4.
Ask the group to
problem-solve by defining clearly and objectively what is happening, what they
want to happen, and possible solutions. (Try using the Strategy/Goal Sheet and
GAP Analysis forms found in the Forms Section.)
5.
Encourage staff
members to participate.
A.
Make a positive
inter-active statement, such as �I�d like to hear what everyone thinks. Can we
go around the group and have each person state their views in turn?�
B.
Ask everyone to take 3
to 4 minutes of quiet time, write down their thoughts, and then solicit their
comments.
C.
Ask the person taking
the meeting minutes to record ideas on a flip chart and ask each member to
indicate their top three choices.
6.
Maintain an
environment of trust, respect, and safety.
A.
Insist that everyone
share his or her thoughts in objective terms. For example, �Jane, I can see
you�re upset about this, but let�s focus today on the problem itself, not the
people involved.�
B.
Redirect them to
problem-solving techniques described in steps five through six above.
C.
Review and seek
recommitment to meeting guidelines set by the group.
7.
Call for decisions and
ask the person taking the meeting minutes to restate assignments.
8.
Conduct a meeting
evaluation with the group and ask the minute taker to record the results. The
following are potential questions for such an evaluation. (Refer to the Forms
Section for a blank Meeting Evaluation form to use for this purpose.)
A.
Did we start on time?
B.
Did we end on time?
C.
How many follow-up
tasks were reported as completed?
D.
How many decisions
were made today?
E.
On a scale of 1 to 4,
indicate how effective you think the meeting was:
1.
Did not meet
expectations.
2.
Partially met
expectations.
3.
Met expectations.
4.
Surpassed
expectations.
9. Set the date and location of the next meeting and remind the group who the facilitator and minute taker will be.
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Standard Operating Procedures for All Dentists
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