Global Change Seminar "It's Your Move!"

Initial Group Meeting

          Everyone in the Group should by now have an idea about the content of the Seminar and how it's organized.

          Each Group Meeting throughout the Seminar follows essentially the following format:

• Review the suggested Agenda and modify it if desired;
• Group maintenance work;
• Individual check ins;
• Journal reflections;
• Segment topic(s) development: study, discussion, and exercises (the substance of each meeting);
• Logistics and housekeeping;
• Old or other business;
• Closing and meeting evaluation.

          For many of the Group Meeting Agenda items, we recommend the use of a Talking Stick. This technique ensures that each person gets to have--and finish--their say without being interrupted. This is especially important if there are introverts in the group.

Group Meeting Agenda
Segment #1 - Introduction and Getting Started

          Unlike all the subsequent meetings, the main focus of this first meeting is on organizing the group, logistics, and planning and kicking off the Seminar. Here is the suggested agenda:

• Provide time for very brief introductions in the event not everyone knows everyone else's name.
• Play the Interview Game as a way to add some more depth to the previous introductions.
• Review the Tools for Group Work from the Setting up a Seminar Group article.
• Develop some Group Standards as described in the Group Facilitation Guide.
• Decide how to handle or rotate the roles of facilitator and recorder for each meeting.
• Discuss the Doubter Believer Stance article and talk about it's relevance for this Group.
  
  
1. Individual Check Ins: Make sure everyone has some scratch paper and something with which to write. Then, allow time for each person to write down responses to the following four unfinished statements:
   
   • What most stands out for me or grabs me from all that I've read about the Seminar is........
   • What most intrigues me about our doing this Seminar together is........
   • Concerns or questions (if any) I have about doing the Seminar are.......
   • What I most hope to get out of having done the Seminar is........
     
   Next, go round the room and, preferably using the Talking Stick, have each person share her/his individual response to the first unfinished statement while the others listen without comment. Then each person shares his/her response to second statement - again no comment or discussion. Repeat for the remaining two statements. [The value in sharing responses with no group comment in this fashion is that everyone gets heard - rather than having the first topic to come up drive the focus of the discussion.]
   
   
2. Journal Reflection: In Round Robin fashion, give each person the opportunity to share from this Segment's Journal work using the unfinished statements provided below. The recorder notes the responses on newsprint as appropriate, so that the overall group response to the statements can be viewed.
   
   • The things I wrote that most concern me about the way the world is going today were.....
   • The things I wrote that I found most hopeful about the way the world is going today were.....
   • A "Good News" item that particularly struck me was.....
   • A "Bad News" item that particularly struck me was.....
     
3. Additional Reflection (optional): Go once more around the group and have each person respond with:
   
            “After listening to what everyone has said, I'd like us to spend a bit more time today discussing.....”
   
   Choose a focus to which there’s some general agreement and then spend as much time discussing it as is needed. See that everyone has a chance to provide input and be heard. Record points to remember on the flip chart as appropriate.
   
   
4. Logistics and Housekeeping :
• Decide how frequently the Group will meet to discuss each Segment's Agenda. [We recommend weekly or biweekly so that the continuity and flow of the individual work and group dynamic won't deteriorate.] Make a commitment to eight to ten group meetings, agreeing on dates, times and locations, and approximate length for each meeting. [NOTE: This first organizational meeting is likely to be considerably shorter than subsequent meetings.] Confirm the details and assignments for the next meeting, and agreements as to who will do what before then. Also note that while we offer an agenda for one meeting in each Segment, a group may choose to sandwich in an extra meeting for some Segments where the content is of particular interest or more time is needed for discussion.
  
• Create a name for the group and/or something else that will serve as a unique ID that each person will use in the Feedback Forms that he/she submits on the Internet after each Segment is completed. [We won't be able to, nor do we wish to, associate feedback with any individual - but we do need to be able to review the feedback in an anonymous group context.]
  
• Reminder to complete the online Registration Form and the online Feedback Form for Segment #1 of the Seminar (see the links to these in the Curriculum).
  
• Reach agreement on who will prepare and distribute the notes recorded on the flip chart - these will be useful (and may be necessary) for reference in future discussions.
  
• Designate one person to check in by phone with all the others a few days before the next meeting to (1) remind them of the meeting details; (2) find out how they're doing in general and with the Seminar; (3) confirm that all agreed-upon to dos have been done; and (4) make sure they've submitted the Segment #1 Feedback Form.
  
  
5. Other Business: At this point, if the group has any additional matters that it feels should to be addressed then address them now.
   
   
6. Closing (Check Out): Close with a round robin response from each person to something like the following two statements, again with no comments, responses, or discussion:
• What I most appreciated about how this meeting went was..................
• One thing I wish had been different about this meeting is.............
  
[When a group hears this kind of feedback on a meeting and how it went, it usually motivate the members toward any necessary modifications in future meetings.]

Next: Feedback Form - Segment #1