How Collaboration Happens
Some people think true collaboration is a form of magic.
But collaboration—bringing together unique skills and ideas toward a common goal—is something made possible by better meetings; meetings with an intentional design and basic facilitation techniques that anyone can learn and do.
Perhaps you’re a leader or community advocate in charge of an innovation or change effort unsure of how to make collaboration happen. Maybe you’re a project manager or team lead frustrated by never-ending meetings where nothing seems to get done. If you’re anyone with a desire to meet more effectively so you and your team can do your best work and achieve your mission, you’re in the right place. Better meetings create better teams that drive successful organizations and support healthy work cultures.
Here are four simple ways to bring more collaboration into your meetings:
Start each meeting with three things: outcomes, process and agreements (OPA!).
Close each meeting with two things: next steps and how you will share information with anyone missing.
Take notes where everyone can see them: when participants see their ideas captured, they feel heard, repeat themselves less and make connections more easily, which leads to faster meetings and better decisions.
Use breakouts for groups of eight or more: if your group is larger than eight, it’s hard to hear from everyone. Use smaller groups and report-outs to maximize the potential of the group and prevent a few individuals from dominating discussions.
Facilitation skills are life skills and are often so easy to understand and implement that it’s a shame we don’t learn them in grade school. So why don’t we?
Historically, the first major organizations recognized were churches and the military, traditionally “top-down” structures. There’s no space or need to meet when orders come from the top, and this trend continued through the industrial revolution. For centuries, we’ve been taught to expect direction to be handed to us.
But in the age of knowledge where far less of us work in factory settings, the wisdom in our heads is the currency of the organizations we work for. The only way for these organizations to stay competitive is to draw out this knowledge.
And it all starts with how we meet.
Looking for more? Check out This Meeting Sucks Season 1: Just-in-Time Meeting Skills for more tips for your next meeting.
