Meeting Wise

Kathryn Parker Boudett is the director of the Data Wise Project and a lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Elizabe th A. City is the director of the Doctor of Education Leadership (EdLD) Program and a lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 Overview of the Book 3 How to Use This Book 5 SECTION I: THINKING DIFFERENTLY 1 Why Focus on Meetings? 9 Time as a Resource 9 Meetings as Powerful Learning Spaces 12 2 The Meeting Wise Checklist 19 Purpose 21 Process 24 Preparation 32 Pacing 34 3 Using the Checklist 39 Complete Agenda Overhaul Greenville Fifth-Grade Team Meeting 40 Targeting Intentional Collaboration Jackson County Central Office Leadership Team 48 Targeting Adult Learning Sheldon Academy Faculty Retreat 54 Targeting Outcomes High School Parent/Teacher Conference 58 Targeting Problem Solving Over Compliance Statewide Quarterly Superintendents' Meeting 61 Targeting Connections National Anti-Bullying Network Virtual Meeting 64 The Meeting Wise Agenda Template 68 SECTION II: WORKING DIFFERENTLY 4 Setting Up for Success 73 Foudnational Setup Tasks 73 Recurring Setup Tasks 78 5 Wise Facilitation 85 Keeping to (and Deviating from) the Agenda 88 Supporting Full Engagement 99 Managing Conflict 108 Maintaining Awareness of the Role You Play 116 6 Wise Participation 119 Keeping to (and Deviating from) the Agenda 121 Supporting Full Engagement 124 Managing Conflict 129 Maintaining Awareness of the Role You Play 133 7 Becoming Meeting Wise 141 Finding an Entry Point 142 Words to the Wise 148 SECTION III: RESOURCES Selected Readings 153 Selected Protocols 155 Protocols in Brief 161 Quick Reference Guide 165 Notes 173 About the Authors 175 Index 177

"Meeting Wise offers a set of guidelines and case studies, with the aim of giving educators practical advice for improving the efficacy of meetings. The text is more than a handbook, however. Boudett and City seek to encourage educators to reconsider how they think about - and approach - the meetings they lead and attend. Educators need not view meetings as annoyances or distractions. Instead, the authors argue, these venues can be rich sources of collaboration and invention." -- Charlie Tyson, Inside Higher Ed "Meeting Wise is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to gain value from his or her meetings. I, for one, will assign it to my leadership classes as a 'gift' title to enhance their skills and appreciation for collaborative learning." -- James J. Harrington, The Journal of Continuing Higher Education "Highly recommended especially for educators; Meeting Wise is also an extremely useful resource for any career professional." -- Jennifer Simmonds, Midwest Book Review "This is a short, practical book that I strongly recommend to any administrator. There is also useful advice on being a good meeting facilitator (rather than simply a chair) and on being a good participant. More importantly, when I finished reading the book, I could, in fact, imagine a time where I looked forward to meetings." -- Lee Skallerup Bessette, Women in Higher Education