<aside> 💡 Reminder: there is no one-size fits all approach, so we can’t copy & paste ways of working from another organisation. What works for one team may not be the right fit for yours, and the solution is for each team to discover through experimentation what works for them.
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*Check-ins | ****Auto generators
Always start your meetings with this quick-fire psychological safety hack. Try these auto generators and see which you and your team enjoy the most.
**Circle meetings* | ****Meeting structure, step-by-step guide
I know of no better way to encourage ‘conversational turn-taking’ and psychological safety, a key indicator of great teams according to a huge Google study into what makes a great team (and backed up by Harvard and MIT research). This is a simple and seriously effective way to grow listening skills, trust, and psychological safety.
Team Stand-ups | ****Meeting structure, step-by-step guides & templates
Team stand-ups are an awesome use of time, a snappy source of team building, and an easy way to get clarity on how our workloads and roles are going.
The Liberating Structures app | ****33 wonderful meeting structures
“There are five main conventional “microstructures” that we default to in organisations and groups: presentations, managed discussions, status reports, open discussions, and brainstorms. The problem with these is they are either too constraining (in the case of presentations, managed discussions and status reports) or too loose (in the case of open discussions and brainstorms). Liberating Structures, on the other hand, are designed to embrace distributed control and include a fairer, larger number of people in shaping the next steps”, Lisa Gill. Download the app and explore 33 awesome meeting structures:
*1-2-4-ALL | Liberating Structure, step-by-step guide
The foundational, simplest, are possibly best Liberating Structure - Immediately include everyone regardless of how large the group is. Generate better ideas and more of them faster than ever before. Tap the know-how and imagination of the whole group.
15% Solutions | Liberating Structure, step-by-step guide
Reveal the actions, however small, that everyone can do immediately. 15% Solutions show that there is no reason to wait around, feel powerless, or fearful. They help the group to focus on what is within their discretion instead of what they cannot change.
Troika Consulting | ****Liberating Structure, intro & step-by-step guide
Give and get practical and imaginative help from colleagues with ‘Troika Consulting’. Troika is a very powerful Liberating Structure that helps people gain insights on issues they face and unleash local wisdom for addressing them. In rapid rounds of “consultations”, individuals ask for help and get advice immediately from two others.
**Lean Coffee** | ****meeting structure, step-by-step guide, & Miro template
“The format for a Lean Coffee is very simple. This is intentional. It is meant to be the least structure necessary for a coherent and productive meeting. No more, no less” - Jim & Jeremy (the creators).
*Retros | ****Meeting structure, step-by-step guides
Probably the simplest way to ensure teams are continually learning and improving. To break it down simply, you will be reflecting on: What worked well? What didn't work well? What actionable items can we do to improve the situation?
Tactical meetings by Holocracy | Meeting structure, step-by-step guide
Tactical meetings are focused on a team’s operational work. Their purpose is to triage issues that have come up recently and remove obstacles so that the work can move forward. Each team has its own tactical meetings, they occur at a regular rhythm based on the needs of the team (typically weekly), and following a structured, facilitated process.
Meeting course-correction guide by LifeLabs Learning | Meeting rescue tips
LifeLabs Learnings have studied hundreds of meeting hours to identify what makes a successful meeting, and have shared their favourite fixes to get any meeting back on track.
The Meeting Cost Calculator by Mark Eddleston | Tool
Put a cost against your operating rhythm with this simple tool. With that information you make choose to make some meetings shorter, smaller, less regular or asynchronous.