Facilitate this

RantWoman has been meditating about meetings. Today, by coincidence, one of the meetings on RantWoman's meeting cyclei is having an email discussion about how to deal with our next meeting.

The discussion yielded questions the group might ask of ourselves during introductions and using the methodology listed below. RantWoman has posted the content below with permission of the author; RantWoman also has not gotten the preview copy she has of the book read. RantWoman simply posts here and will editorialize elsewhere based on one thread of her life

ONE-TWO-FOUR-ALL MEETING DESIGN

BY MARK K. SMUTNY

An easy way to engage everyone in a meeting in a matter of a few minutes is a technique called 1-2-4-All. Far superior to brainstorming, 1-2-4-All is a piece of cake to facilitate and takes fifteen minutes at most.
How it Works
Here is the way it works. The facilitator poses a creative question on an issue of concern to the group. For example, "How might we be the safest workplace in our city in the coming year?" or "What top three priorities should our business plan address in the next six months?"  Individuals take one minute to list ideas on a piece of paper. Then, in pairs, each person quickly shares his or her ideas (two minutes).  They notice similarities and patterns and strengthen their combined ideas.  Next, pairs combine into groups of four to share, compare, and coalesce ideas in four minutes.  The final stage is a plenary session:  the "All" in 1-2-4-All. Each group of four shares one key idea with the whole group, popcorn style, avoiding duplication. The results are recorded for all to see on large post-it notes or a whiteboard.
Results
In fifteen to twenty minutes, 1-2-4-All harvests the collective wisdom of a group with everyone's participation.  In a short time, 1-2-4-All generates energy, excitement, and engagement. Unlike groups in which someone drones on and on, or a hearing in which people give two-minute speeches, the results from 1-2-4-All are wildly democratic. No one sits quietly unless they ask to pass. The group is set free to create and innovate.
Better Than Brainstorming and Presentations
I use 1-2-4-All all the time when facilitating meetings. In contrast to brainstorming or presentations, which can favor the verbose and aggressive, 1-2-4-All is fundamentally inclusive. Ever voice has power. Every voice and perspective gets in on the game. Even the shy or the culturally less dominate share ideas.

For more ideas on how to empower every voice and perspective in your group or organization, order my book from Amazon: THRIVE: The Facilitator’s Guide to Radically Inclusive Meetings and visit my website at www.civicreinventions.com. Drop me an email mark.smutny@civicreinventions.com on a meeting issue that plagues you. I will be in touch.
Copyright © 2019 Mark Smutny and Civic Reinventions, Inc.
All rights reserved. For permission to distribute copies of this article in any form, contact: mark.smutny@civicreinventions.com.

Including Persons with Disabilities

The Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990. Since then, awareness of how to include persons with disabilities has skyrocketed. Nonetheless, meetings frequently have little or no accommodations for persons with disabilities. Even groups committed to inclusiveness too frequently exclude. Listening, building awareness, and training can reverse these exclusive practices.

In this chapter, I include some recommendations for meetings in which persons with disabilities are recognized as equals and their gifts honored. I encourage everyone who values inclusion to read further in this area than this short chapter permits.

The need for skilled facilitators able to work with a range of persons with disabilities and to craft meeting designs accordingly cannot be overestimated. The number of persons who need accommodation is staggering. According to the U.S. Census, 57.6 million Americans reported having a disability in 2010. Over 20 million of these either "have trouble" seeing even when wearing glasses or contact lenses, are blind, or unable to see at all. Thirty million have a hearing loss. One in eight people in the United States aged twelve years or older have hearing loss in both ears. Approximately 8 million Americans have some mobility impairment that necessitates the use of adaptive equipment such as a cane, crutches, walker, wheelchair, or scooter. Sixty million Americans nationwide have learning and attention issues. Millions more struggle with autoimmune disorders, cancer, diabetes, service-connected disabilities, or cardiovascular and respiratory challenges. Temporary disabilities from falls, accidents, and broken bones number in the millions as well. With the number of aging baby boomers growing, these statistics will climb. As the truism says, "All of us will eventually have a disability."

Preparing for meetings with persons who have disabilities begins long before the meeting. Considerations include meeting location, parking, entrances, exits, the meeting room or rooms, and the location of restrooms. People with mobility disabilities want to know if there are safe and convenient drop-off areas, sidewalk cutouts, and safe and wide pathways to the meeting rooms. Like everyone else, they want to know where to find the food, beverages, and restrooms; and where to register attendance. Some will want to sign up for the next gig, buy a book, or know where to find the petition to lobby elected officials.

The planning team and facilitators begin by listening. Who will the attendees be and what advice do they have about accessibility? Persons with disabilities are the experts, along with their companions and advocates. Listening to their needs begins the inclusive planning process.

The meeting planners need to address a variety of questions. Will the event need to be on one level? Will captioning be required? Will a signer be needed? Will a companion dog attend? Will a full transcript of the proceedings be helpful? Will invitations need to be in Braille or is large print sufficient? Do aisles and table layout need to accommodate mobility devices such as wheelchairs, scooters, and walkers? Are assistive listening devices needed? What type of furniture and layout facilitates full participation? Asking these questions up-front goes a long way toward inclusion and making meetings accessible. Empathy, decency, and fairness require that they are asked.

Meeting planners may need to arrange for recording the proceedings in real-time for persons who are deaf, hearing impaired, or who need a readable record to trigger their memory. Graphic recorders can be an excellent choice for visualizing and summarizing meetings. Graphic recordings benefit the visually dominant, persons who cannot hear, and those who are hearing impaired.

People with mobility needs require the meeting room to be configured for wheelchairs and other devices. Expand narrow aisles and clear obstacles. Braille handouts and large print versions may be required. Guide dogs need to be accommodated. Signers and caption writers may need to be recruited.

One way to communicate that your group values inclusion is for the invitation to contain details about the meeting’s accessibility.  Receiving an invitation and noticing that the event will accommodate one’s needs builds trust. People feel welcomed and honored. They are more likely to attend and will engage more fully in the meeting.

If possible, send out agendas, PowerPoint files, charts, and other hand-outs in advance. When agendas and supporting materials are received ahead of time, participants can more easily prepare for the topics. This improves meeting flow. Participants need to calculate the time required to get to the event and their return, so include starting and ending times in communications to help everyone plan accessible transportation.
   
Greeters are an excellent way to welcome everyone when they arrive at the meeting location. For those who are blind, greeters are essential. They can describe the pathway to the meeting or escort the person whose sight is impaired to the first stop.
If a registration table is needed for signing in and receiving handouts, make sure that people with mobility disabilities can approach the table. The same goes for refreshments. Make sure the tablecloths are short--no long hanging frills and frippery. Be ready with kind people to help fill plates and glasses for those who need help. If needed, help bring full dishes and liquid refreshments back to a person's table.
If there is a podium where a speaker or facilitator stands or sits, make sure it is adjustable. When possible, a better selection is a table with chairs and microphones. If there are interpreters, translators and signers, make sure they can be seen. For the leader or facilitator, provide a small table with a glass of water and a place for notes. If a raised platform from which people will speak is not accessible, do not use it.  Bring a table down in the crowd--it will enable all to participate. As a side benefit, having people sit at a table on the same level creates intimacy and warmth.
For those who are blind, facilitators should briefly describe the room layout and location of restrooms and refreshments. Describe the location of tables, chairs, and podium. Remove clutter and keep aisles open. When meetings begin, invite participants to share their name when they speak. This allows the blind to know who is in the room and who is talking.
If the meeting includes audiovisuals with projected slides, summaries of discussions on whiteboards, or flip charts, the facilitator should describe what she or he sees.
When contracting with interpreters, translators, captioners, and graphic recorders, planning teams should be aware that it may take weeks to line up professionals whose services are in high demand.  Begin planning early.  Before the event, facilitators should dedicate time to talking with interpreters, real-time captioners, and graphic recorders to describe meeting expectations. Provide handouts, agendas, and background material to help these professionals plan.
On the day of the meeting and well before the session begins, have the facilitation team review the set-up. Make sure that seating, lighting, and equipment are in place. Review the table setup and other fixtures to make sure no obstacles exist in aisles and between tables. Test assistive listening devices. Make sure that interpreters are adjacent to speakers and facilitators and that sight lines are clear.
Making meetings accessible and accommodating persons with disabilities are not lofty goals. They make practical business sense. The amazing variety of life experience and the stamina and courage it takes to navigate life as a person with disabilities means that all of us should cherish their contributions.

Facilitators, planners, and consultants who seek to learn from and comply with the ADA requirements can find a wealth of resources and training online. Articles, checklists, and webinars abound. For designing accessible meetings see http://www.adahospitality.org/topic/planning-accessible-meetings. For a complete list of ways to accommodate persons with disabilities, visit https://adata.org, the website of the Americans with Disabilities Act National Network and its ten regional centers. Other nations have similar resources.