Common ailments of meetings:
- Are meetings boring? If so they probably aren’t action-oriented enough. Try holding the next one inside a jail, a moving freight train, or a burning building (just kidding). ). You may want to have the group make signs for the next protest, though. Make sure new people are being invited to help.
- Are your meetings clogged with too much detail? Unless something interests a substantial part of the group, it should be discussed in a small-group meeting instead. This is for the facilitator to judge (though anyone can complain).
- Are people feeling left out and stupid because speakers are assuming that people know what they’re talking about, and using a lot of jargon? Speak plainly. Do more education at meetings. If a speaker uses a word or phrase that a lot of people don’t know (what the hell is a perched water table anyway?), stop them and have them explain it.
- Are people dominating because they have neat connections with various bigwigs? Have others go with them to bigwig meetings. Make sure these connections are shared, as they
belong to the whole group.
- Are people dominating because they know a lot? Have them give presentations and teach the rest of the group. However, make sure this person is really teaching and not just showing off.
- Are people dominating because they’re more confident than the rest, better speakers, etc.? The facilitator should call on others.
- Is one part of the group (men, whites, seniors, etc.) doing all the talking? The facilitator should ask for input from the rest of the group.
- Are people turned off because speakers are assuming too much about their ideology? This calls for some simple politeness. If people want to help, they shouldn’t feel excluded just because they are more conservative or more radical than the rest of the group. Maybe there could be a meeting to discuss everyone’s ideology.
- Do meetings run overtime? Set time limits, stick to the agenda, and start on time even if not everybody’s there. People will be much more willing to come to meetings if they know they can get out by a certain time.
