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Making Meetings Work
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Making Meetings Work
How to Get Started, Get Going, and Get It Done

Edited by:

Foreword by Stephanie Hirsh



December 2006 | 200 pages | Corwin

Are you attending more meetings and getting less done?

Even with our busy schedules, meetings can be a productive use of time when we follow some simple guidelines. Based on her work with thousands of educators, meetings expert Ann Delehant's indispensable guide is packed with tools, strategies, tips, and ideas that fit the unique context of schools, learning communities, and instructional leaders.

Offering step-by-step planning processes designed for principals, teacher leaders, staff developers, and trainers, this book provides guidelines for determining whether to have a meeting, helping groups work together to make decisions, and developing action plans. Demonstrating how effective meetings can sustain commitment and support, this excellent facilitation handbook covers:

  • Planning a meeting and building the agenda
  • Considering innovative alternatives to traditional meetings
  • Using energizers and other ideas for engaging and motivating groups
  • Determining "who" gets to make "what" decisions
  • Establishing norms and procedures for efficient use of time

School leaders, school improvement and grade-level teams, and school boards will find this a dynamic resource to help groups work toward collaboration and change the environment and school community culture for the better!


 
List of Handouts
 
Foreword by Stephanie Hirsh
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
1. Planning a Meeting
 
2. Getting the Group Started
 
3. Running a Meeting
 
4. Making Decisions
 
5. Taking Action
 
Conclusion
 
References
 
Extended Readings
 
Index

"Helps individuals who value people’s time and wish to apply effective management skills to meetings. Identifies the critical issues to consider when convening people for the purpose of working together. Offers an introduction and explanation for each issue and brings the explanation to life through case studies, and by providing ready-to-use tools and strategies to promote implementation."

From the Foreword by Stephanie Hirsh

"When I need a resource to make my meetings more productive, I go to this book. The stories and tools help me understand and implement processes that make a difference in the work that we do as colleagues and that ultimately affect student learning."

Jody Hoch, K-12 Director of Mathematics
Rush-Henrietta Central School District, NY

"Ann Delehant's work offers structures and tools that ensure that meetings are productive, respectful of people and their time, and result in high performance for staff and students."

Karen A. Anderson, Leadership Coach and Consultant

"Delivers just what the title promises; it is a comprehensive guide to planning and delivering meetings and evaluating their effectiveness. The depth of the explanations and direction of the book underscores the importance of really thinking about what we want to get out of a meeting and how to get there in an intentional way."

Principal Magazine, November/December 2007
National Association of Elementary School Principals
Key features
  • Practical tools that lead groups through planning and running meetings
  • Focuses on making decisions and action plans
  • Based on Ann Delehant's work with thousands of educators
  • Contains innovative alternatives to the traditional meeting
  • Includes energizers and other ideas for motivating groups

Sample Materials & Chapters

Foreword

Preface

Chapter 1