Designing Meetings & Workshops

Michigan Mathematics and Science Teacher Leadership Collaborative

Tips and Strategies for: • Purposeful Meetings• Effective Agendas• Adult Learners• Successful Workshops

Check your meeting

IQ…

As Teacher Leaders, you may be asked to prepare for and chair a meeting.

The key to success is:

Plan, Plan, Plan

Discussion:

How do you react to meetings?

What contributes to a good meeting?

A bad one?

As You Plan a Meeting…

Set Objectives for the Meeting

What do you want to happen as a result of the meeting?

Outcomes

Purpose of the Agenda

Provide advanced notice of topics to be considered along with expected outcomes for each topic so that meeting participants can prepare appropriately; and

Provide a tool to structure the meeting so it will proceed constructively.

Developing the Agengs

Assign specific amounts of time for each agenda item

State the person responsible for speaking to and driving the agenda item

Developing the Agenda (continued)

Order the agenda item strategically

Provide the agenda before the meeting

At the meeting, review the agenda and agree to it

Meeting Preparation

• Assign any meeting preparations that will move the meeting forward

• Set the schedule with appropriate times

• Invite only those individuals who are important for its success

Conducting the Meeting

• Start and stop on time

• Lead the meeting following the planned agenda

• Assign a recorder to take notes

Conducting the Meeting (continued)

• Assign action items with a timetable

• Review them at the end of the meeting

After the Meeting

Examine your meeting process.

Participating in a Meeting

Participants have a responsibility to:

a. Arrive on time

b. Be well-prepared

c. Be concise and to the point

d. Participate in a constructive manner

Meeting Observation

Reflection and Discussion

• Was the meeting you viewed successful? (Was the goal accomplished?)

• What worked and what didn’t?

• In light of what you have learned today, what could have been done to make the meeting more successful?

Adult Learners

Working with adult learners in meetings, presentations, and workshops is different than working with students in your classroom.

Adult Learners

At your table, brainstorm ways that you perceive adult learners to be different than child or youth learners.

Adult Learners

When working with adult learners, laughter, changes of pace, engaging processes, and frequent movement in seminars all contribute to energy for learning.

Roles in Professional Development

•PRESENTER (imparting information)•TRAINER (demonstrating skills)•COACH (overseeing the acquisition of

knowledge or new behavior)•FACILITATOR (helping a group

achieve a desired end)

7 Deadly Sins

Task:• Your group will be assigned a “sin”• Read through your sin and the

redemption strategies• Create a poster or visual that depicts

the sin and its redemption strategy• Present your product to the whole

group

Additional Resource

OUCH! • These six slips can bruise and

strain a presentation

Planning Tool

Planning Template for Meetings, Workshops, and Presentations