Mark Smutny - Thrive: The Facilitators Guide to Radically Inclusive Meetings

THRIVE

The Facilitators Guide to

Radically Inclusive Meetings

Dr. Mark Smutny

THRIVE: The Facilitators Guide to Radically Inclusive Meetings

2019 Dr. Mark Smutny

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing of the author, except by reviewers who wish to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for publication in print and electronic form.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no

representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the author or publisher shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

Editors: Gloria Campbell & Barbara Anderson Published in the United States by

Civic Reinventions. Inc www.civicreinventions.com

Cover image: Vladimir Verano

Book & cover design:

Vladimir Verano, VertVolta Design

www.vertvoltapress.com

Image rights: Pg 19. Can Stock Photo / simo988 ; Pg 20: Can Stock Photo / svetap ;

Pg 139: 2018 Tim Corey , www.colibrifacilitation.com. Used with permission .

Pg 141: 2019 Jessamy Gee, Think in Colour, Used with permission .

ISBN

Print: 978-1-7339281-0-6

ebook: 978-1-7339281-1-3

1. business, 2. meetings; 3. facilitation;

4. how-to; 5. education

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019908438

Agnes Smutny, for her resilience and compassion in the face of trial; Elsie Stafford, for her hearty laugh, kind eyes, and great stories. Kylie and Avery, Kaelyn and Cora, may you have the confidence and strength of your foremothers.

CONTENTS

Preface Acknowledgments The Author Introduction Disastrous Meetings

Cultural Mindfulness and Radical Inclusion The Art of Conversational Leadership Emotional Intelligence

The Art of Listening Well Structuring an Agenda The Art of Centering

The Art of Breaking Ice Ground Rules

The Art of Flexible Roles in Meetings The Art of Strategic Questions Liberating Structures

Large Group Planning Methods Room Layout

Facilitating Culturally Diverse Meetings Facilitating Multilingual Meetings Including Persons with Disabilities Interest-Based, Principled Negotiating Facilitating Difficult Meetings Facilitating Strategic Plans

Facilitating Systemic, Organizational Change Coming to Terms with Organizational History Recording Meeting Results

The Art of Wrapping Up The Art of Writing Well

Assembling a Facilitators Toolkit

Ten Reasons to Hire a Professional Facilitator Conclusion

Further Reading Index

i v

vii 1

Preface

I see a world where everyone is heard, where all people matter. I see communities that embrace all voices and are committed to freedom, jus- tice, and opportunity for all. I see businesses, nonprofits, and the public sector creatively engage people in thousands of ways to get their best ideas, empower the broken, and build a society where all are treated with dignity and respect. I see a people, amazingly diverse, stunningly beautiful, and woven into a tapestry of love, justice, and peace. I see a mosaic of different colors, different hues, different perspectives, different genders; a kaleido- scope of humanity driven by hope, strengthened by courage and the fun- damental belief that we are best when we embody the creed of e pluribus unam, out of many, one.

I wrote THRIVE: The Facilitators Guide to Radically Inclusive Meet- ings driven by a vision where equality, inclusion, and engagement can happen for every participant in every meeting, conference, and summit. I want your meetings to have energy and imagination and be worth every second of your time. In a word, I want your meetingsall of themto THRIVE!

I have been facilitating meetings for over a third of a century. I have participated in thousands of meetings. Some sailed along with ease and reached their destination. Some sputtered and stalled. Some never left port. All were attended by people who said they value everyones participa- tion. But too often, a few people dominated. When the voices of the many were not heard, the meetings were less productive and more frustrating than they could have been.

Diverse voices and inclusive meeting designs help organizations thrive. A mix of perspectives, life experience, and other forms of diversity reveal greater truth than any one of them alone. When groups are mostly of one gender, or one race and ethnicity, much is lost. The group is less imaginative. When people of different genders, races, and ethnicities meet, groups think better, see better, and are better.

I believe equality and equity are more than lofty words. They are practices. We practice equality by being even-handed, impartial and fair. We embody equity by the way we respect and include every voice and each perspective. Embodying these values throughout our meetings and organizations makes space for us to rise to what President Lincoln called the better angels of our nature. We become more open, curious, and respectful. Justice for all becomes more than a slogan. It becomes a way of life. The result is better outcomes, more productivity, and more motivated employees, volunteers, and stakeholders.

Think of meetings in which a few people dominated. Remember how most people stayed quiet, doodled, or texted until a break in the meet- ing. Then recall the noise level during breaks as conversation erupted. The purpose of this book is to help you bring the energy of break time into your meetings. I will teach you how, with good meeting design and a few techniques and tools, to include those voices and energy in your meetings, no matter the size or occasion.

Whether you are a facilitator, a nonprofit or business leader, a public official or consultant, this book is written for you. Community organiz- ers, planners, board and committee members, religious leaders and adher- entsno matter the size of your group or meetingwill find help in this book.

This book covers multiple topics to help your meetings thrive. I be- gin with a chapter on disastrous meetings. We all have a list of similar experiences. These painful memories inspire my passion and vision for better meetings that embrace every voice.