Running Effective Meetings > Ground Rules

Purpose: Ground rules are guidelines for individual and team behaviors. They define the expectations members have for themselves and each other regarding how they will work together.

When to Use and Whom to Involve: Ground rules must be developed and agreed upon by the whole team at the initial meeting(s) and must be reviewed regularly. Ground rules should be used as a tool any time you bring a group of people together on a project of any nature.

Ground rules should be written down and posted at all team meetings. As the work progresses and as the group develops or adds new members, teams frequently revise their ground rules to address such current issues as handling differences of opinions in more open and supportive ways, reaching true consensus before moving to new topics, and ensuring equal airtime for all team members.

Time Needed: 30-45 minutes to develop, plus additional time to periodically review/update; 5 minutes at the end of each meeting to evaluate the team's performance with regard to the ground rules.

Tool: Ground Rules

After understanding the purpose of ground rules, go round robin, soliciting each team member's input on how they would like the team to work together. Record responses on a flip chart and post the ground rules at the beginning of each meeting.

Below are a few examples to trigger your thinking about some areas for ground rules; in other words, how a team functions with respect to:

ISSUE #1: How decisions are made
RULE #1: We will seek group consensus on all major decisions.

ISSUE #2: Dealing with conflicts, listening, giving and receiving feedback
RULE #2: We will not shoot the messenger.

ISSUE #3: Participation of members
RULE #3: We will be honest in our communication.

ISSUE #4: Use of agendas, minutes, record keeping, etc.
RULE #4: The Team Chair will set the agenda and distribute it to all team members prior to the meeting. The recorder will be responsible for distributing the minutes from the meeting.

ISSUE #5: Communication between meetings
RULE #5: We will have weekly check-ins (via phone) so that team members can keep each other updated.

ISSUE #6: Member attendance and promptness
RULE #6: Except for unforeseen circumstances, all members must attend meetings at the agreed-upon time.

ISSUE #7: Length, frequency and timing of meetings
RULE #7: All meetings will begin and end on time.

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