Designing Meeting Agreements with Visual Tools
Every good meeting starts with framing.
The way we frame a discussion has a direct impact on achieving the outcomes of a meeting, especially in high-conflict groups.
Framing should leave everyone in the meeting understanding the purpose, the agenda, their role, and, focus on this blog—the agreements that will support the conversation.
A meeting agreement can be a ground rule, metaphor, or principle that helps a group understand the expectations of behavior during a meeting. To pick the best meeting agreement for your team, start by identifying the challenges the group tends to face when working on a project or having a discussion.
Some of the most common challenges teams face are…
Acknowledging different perspectives
Active listening and participation
Dealing with change
Lack of empathy or insensitive language
Getting too in the weeds
Lack of accountability
Lack of creativity or groupthink
Reactive behavior, interrupting or placing blame
Taking and arguing sides
Unclear communication or decision-making
Create a Meeting Agreement Library
Facilitators collect meeting agreements like geologists collect rocks. We recommend creating a list of your favorite agreements to quickly choose from as you plan your next meeting.
Below are a few of our favorites, but you can find even more in our Meeting Agreement Matching resource, available for free in our downloads store. This resource will help you identify the right agreement for whatever challenge the group may face.
Abilene Paradox: This happens when a group of people decide on an action that is counter to what individuals actually want. Another word for this is called “group think” or sometimes “peer pressure.” For example, the family who drove to Abilene for ice cream when it was suggested, even though none of them really wanted to (Jerry B. Harvey).
The Advice Monster: Value is not in providing solutions. Value is in listening and in offering guiding questions (Michael Bungay Stanier).
Aretha: Ms. Franklin said it best—“R-E-S-P-E-C-T.”
Beach Ball: Everyone sees a different color when they look at a beach ball, but we’re all looking at the same thing. Honor different perspectives and truths (Brian Tarallo).
Below the Line: This phrase can be used by any participant as a reaction and warning to other participants when comments are considered inappropriate (Brian Tarallo).
Buffalo: Buffalos tend to run toward discomfort. Today, be a buffalo!
The Drinking Horn: Upon returning from a voyage, vikings would share a drink in a horn, ensuring enough was left in the horn for the last person to have a sip. Leave enough time for everyone to speak (Mary Alice Arthur).
GEPO: Good enough, press on (Brian Tarallo).
The Knowledge is in the Room: The people with the information to help make this decision are in the room. We must trust that we can find the answer together (Harrison Owen).
The Lizard Brain: When a stressful event takes place, we tend to react defensively. This is our “lizard” or animal brain responding. To overcome the lizard brain, take a pause and consider what’s most important before responding (Brian Tarallo).
Oops Ouch: Say “ouch” if someone says something that hurts. Say “oops” and genuinely apologize for the ways your intention did not match your impact (Annaliese Griffin).
Principle of the Pen: Ask the group, “What is this?” Keep asking until the group arrives at the essence of the pen: “a tool for communication.” Use succinct and clear language to arrive at the essence of your key point or idea (Jafar Alexander).
Take the Wheel: Today is not about being in cruise control mode; we want you to “take the wheel” (Brian Tarallo).
Trapped on an Escalator: “An escalator can never break: it can only become stairs,” said comedian Mitch Hedberg. Take accountability for solving challenges that you face by finding a creative solution and reframing the problem (Karl-Airey).
Sea Squirts: Sea squirts only care about what’s in their comfort zone and immediate surroundings. You have an opportunity today to pick up your head, look around, ask questions, take risks, and apply our collective knowledge and experience to reach your goal. You can’t create the future while clinging to the past. Don’t be a sea squirt (Irv Rubin).
Seek to Understand: Seek to understand before being understood (Stephen Covey).
Starfish: A boy was walking along the beach when he noticed several thousand starfish along the shore, beached and burning up in the sun, unable to reach the water. Horrified, the boy started to pick up the starfish, one at a time, and toss them into the water. A man walking along noticed the boy's Herculean effort to save the starfish and exclaimed, "Why are you trying to help them? Look around! There are millions of starfish. How can you possibly help them all?" The boy picked up a lone starfish and tossed him into the water. He then replied, "Well, at least I helped that one." Change is not easy, and it happens one starfish at a time (Loren Eiseley).
TRY THIS: Design a Meeting Agreements Flipchart (15 mins)
Identify agreements. Choose Meeting Agreements from our list above or use our Meeting Agreements matching resource to help you identify which meeting agreements might work best for your meeting. Choose one to five agreements to keep. More than five agreements take too long to explain, and most won’t remember them all.
Pick a medium. Grab a flipchart and markers, open a new slide or hop into an online whiteboard like MURAL or Miro.
Draw, write and visualize your agreements. Write or type agreements on the flipchart using a simple list format. Near each one, use simple shapes to create visual icons that represent each agreement, and don’t forget to label them. Need practice with icons? Download our icon practice page to get started.
Let participants add their own. Include “What else?” at the end of the flipchart to remind you to invite the group to add to the list. For example, “What else would help you participate actively in today’s conversation?”
