Governance

Good facilitation tools can help speed up a meeting, while also better engaging participants. Gestures allow for real-time, nonverbal feedback from participants so they can stay engaged and communicate without interrupting. Below are some useful tools we’ve discovered, while certainly not an exhaustive list. 

Facilitation Tools

• Temperature Checks – for a particular proposal or idea, have everyone give a quick “temperature check” by holding out their thumbs up, down, or somewhere in the middle. This is a great way to get a sense of the overall opinion of the group, before diving into deeper dialog.

• Blahs – similar to temperature checks, this tool involves going around the group to get 15-30 second rapid-fire thoughts from each person on a particular topic or proposal. This is a great way to get everyone’s voice in the room and get an overall sense of from the group, before diving into deeper dialog.

• Pull the ripcord – this gesture means “stop the line” and signifies a process point.  In other words, it is a point on meeting process itself, not the content.  This is often used when someone is not feeling bought into the conversation or process, and needs to interrupt to make an adjustment. This is often used if the conversation is going off-topic or off-time, someone is dominating the conversation, or there is an interpersonal dynamic at play that needs to be addressed.

• Gratitudes – great way to start a meeting and create a positive space of appreciation before diving into more challenging topics. Also a great way to clear the air after a deep-dive conversation.

• Parking lot – something that doesn’t fit agenda that you don’t want to lose sight of,  “Let’s parking lot this for next time”

• Problems without solutions – this is a way to give space for people to complain and/or be heard about an issue to which they may not have an easy or obvious solution. Often times, people just need to be heard on certain issues and there doesn’t need to be a problem solving. This is a great way to minimize “withholds” within the group as well.

• Clean-up something – someone can do a “clean up” if they would like to acknowledge something they did that negatively impacted the community, and try to take it out of the group space. Below is an easy structure for doing this: 

• 1. I know that I… [acknowledge the issue or breakdown]
  2. I apologize, as I know it impacted the group [acknowledge the impact]
  3. What can I do differently next time? [Residents respond]  
  4. Next time I will… [make a commitment to the group]
  5. Do you forgive me? [Residents respond]

Gestures

• Raise one hand – signifies that “I have a new point to make” (change of subject)

• Raise two hands – signifies that “I have something to add what is being said” (deepening of subject). Help the facilitator decide whether to move-on or keep going on the specific subject

• Twinkle fingers – signifies “I support / agree with that,” a way to acknowledge you feel similarly to something being shared.