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Sample Meeting Ground Rules  
Abstract

The ability to manage a group process and create a shared purpose in a team is an important skill in Head Start. Staff and Policy Council members can refer to these sample groundrules to determine which ones will work for them and to develop their own. Establishing groundrules will influence the way a team operates and contribute to the team's success.

The following is an excerpt from Job Performance Situations 3-C: Building Essential Skills in Facilitation, Decision-Making, and Communication Head Start Moving Ahead Competency-Based Training Program.

Sample Meeting Ground Rules
 

The following ground rules are frequently used by Head Start teams.

  • Make decisions by consensus.

  • Share all relevant information.

  • Explain the reasons behind your statements, questions, and actions.

  • Publicly test assumptions and inferences.

  • Make statements, then invite questions. Stay focused.

  • Discuss the topic thoroughly so everyone has a common understanding.

  • Focus on interests, not positions.

  • Be specific. Use examples to illustrate key ideas.

  • All members are expected to identify and solve problems.

  • Challenge opinions you don’t agree with without attacking the individual who expresses them.

  • Together, design ways of testing disagreements and solutions.

  • Maintain a sense of humor.

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See also:
    Facilitation: Fundamentals of Leading Meetings
    Facilitation Checklist

 
"Meeting Ground Rules." Job Performance Situations 3-C: Building Essential Skills in Facilitation, Decision-Making, and Communication. Head Start Moving Ahead Competency-Based Training Program. DHHS/ACF/ACYF/HSB. 1998. English.

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