Critique the opinion, not the person. Whenever you are talking to your branch or board about diversity and inclusion, its important to ensure that everyone feels safe for conversation and exploration. Give all participants a voice- at the start highlight the value of a diversity of perspectives as an essential part of the process. Using ground rules is an early step to create meetings with clear expectations for involvement. Do not be afraid to respectfully challenge one another by asking questions, but refrain from personal attacks focus on ideas. Establish ground rules: Share personal experiences rather than make general statements about groups of people (stereotyping). Be on time and prepared for meetings. Your performance is as good as your preparation. If youre asked a direct question, you might want to answer it if its a question of fact and you know the answer, and if its relevant to the discussion. After this agreement, the group can stop arguing and move on. Guide for Setting Ground Rules. Share, even if you dont have the right words: Suspend judgment and allow others to be unpolished in their speaking. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000. University Library701 Morrill Rd As explained in the opening paragraphs of this section, group discussions are common in a democratic society. Poster. If the question is one of values, the facilitator may use the occasion to help participants become aware of the values involved. Generate an agenda or goals for the session. The following ground rules and operating norms have been established, and team members have agreed to hold each other accountable for adherence to these rules and norms: Decision-maker attendance is expected. This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. Invite inquiry into your views. A good facilitator helps the group set rules for itself, makes sure that everyone participates and that no one dominates, encourages the development and expression of all ideas, including odd ones, and safeguards an open process, where there are no foregone conclusions and everyones ideas are respected. Ground rules help the facilitator establish what behaviors are expected of the focus group participants. Here are several solid ground rules for virtual meetings: 1. Speak from your own experience instead of generalizing (I instead of they, we, and you). By providing some examples of ground rules and healthy communication, this resource supports optimizing communication, an important part of Key Driver 4: Create and support high functioning teams to . Post rules on a handout, table tent or flip chart so that they are readily available. Ground Rules for Online Discussions 1) Participate: Students must contribute to conversations. If you are unsure of their meaning, ask for clarification. If participants are asked to read something, consider questions, complete a task, or otherwise prepare for the discussion, make sure that the assignment is attended to and used. Respected community members. Take responses and add them to the list. The first thing you need to think about is leadership style, which we mentioned briefly earlier in the section. Become familiar with the purpose and content of the discussion. There are no right or wrong answers - we want honest, candid opinions. Be clear up front about expectations and intentions amongst participants and the facilitator. Follow the agenda. stream How? Debrief. Encourage people to consider their comments seriously, and to avoid becoming defensive if someone disagrees. Use certain conventions or language that will exclude certain groups from understanding the context of the discussion, or make them feel uncomfortable. Ground rules help a group start and maintain a productive discussion. Test Assumptions and Inferences. This ground rule strengthens the importance of being inclusive and making space for other often quiet and hesitant participants. This is true for everyone, regardless of our group (s). Everyone gets a turn. Equity & Inclusion Group Ground Rules Adapted from UT Astronomy E&I Discussion Group Ground Rules by Caitlin Casey, Brandon Bozek, and Raquel Martinez. In the 1970s, a model for understanding managing conflict was created and from it the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) was born. Explain the topic. Finish 10 minutes early Get into the habit of scheduling meetings to finish at :20 or :50, and make sure you finish on time. The term ground rules was originally used to describe the rules of baseball that teams agreed to use in a particular venue, or grounds. Respect for Group Members - Be quick to listen and slow to speak. Often people do this unconsciously because they feel that the meeting isn't relevant for them."Be present, or be elsewhere" is a good meeting guidelines to establish shared awareness and clear expectations one participants. Your ground rules the issue of respecting everyone should address this issue, and it probably wont come upbut there are no guarantees. Such ground rules are especially important when discussing controversial or otherwise challenging topics. Members of an environmental group attend a workshop on the effects of global warming. The important variable is that a traditional "rule" is . 5. HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTED TIPS AND GROUND RULES: 4 IDENTITY AND PLACE. Scheffert, D., Anderson, M., Anderson, S., et al. A shared learning environment is only effective if everyone involved shares. Make "undiscussable" ideas discussible. Hold public hearings on proposed laws or regulations, development, etc. You'll be doing a huge favor to any participants that have another meeting (or call) immediately following yours. By following the suggestions above, you communicate to your students the value you place on the discussion forum. Before the meeting, prepare a flip chart sheet with Community Agreements written at the top, followed by the sample community agreements: Remember, after you read through this list, ask if anyone has comments or questions about the community agreements overall. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Second, each person has to share his style with the group. It's not just for Las Vegas. Boyce, K. (2002). Ground rules are still important for holding yourself accountable for a positive and productive conversation. Joining Together: Group theory and group skills. Provide the rules in writing. Group members can receive and respond to respectful but honest and constructive feedback. This may encourage participation by reducing participants fear of answering incorrectly. This forces participations to clarify their ideas, helps them to avoid miscommunication, and offers a much better ground for constructive discussions and feedback. Ground rules help a group start and maintain a productive discussion. Justice, T., and Jamieson, D. (1998). It is not enough to login and read the discussion thread of others. Involve students in the creation of guidelines. Its not an easy task, but it can be extremely rewarding. What is said in the group, stays in the group. Stopping and asking a participant to summarize where the discussion is at the point it appears to go off track may also help. If the recorder is a group member, the group and/or leader should come up with a strategy that allows her to participate fully in the discussion. Most discussions are aided by the use of newsprint and markers to record ideas, for example. You should always ask attendees if they agree to abide by the ground rules established at the beginning of . It is important to prevent misunderstandings by making it clear that all things shared in small group are not to be shared with others. Each sessionwill be a facilitated discussion of selected chapters, led by a member of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. Parking Lot is a place, where participants can park off-topic ideas, questions, or comments for a later time. Increase participation and the sharing of ideas and perspectives; Promote openness to points of view and increase learning; Manage problems before and as they occur; and. Confidentiality. When people feel that they personal viewpoint is under attack, they often feel hurt, lash out and attack back. Over-generalize behavior or have stereotypical expectations of participants (tokenism). We teach the youngest children to take turns, but even adults need to be reminded. "Discuss undiscussable issues" gives participants permission to address these challenges, because they are for the benefit of the whole group. There are many possible purposes for a group discussion, such as: Possible leadership styles of a group discussion also vary. A group of two or three generally doesnt need a leader to have a good discussion, but once the number reaches five or six, a leader or facilitator can often be helpful. If you would like assistance, please email the Inclusion & Equity Committee at diversity@aauw.org. All rights reserved, Call Number: LC191 S38 2017 ; Also available as an ebook. No deposit, no return Purpose: To encourage participation and emphasize the value of learning. A combination of initiating and probing questions can be an effective approach to bring out participants ideas further. Participants should read and review our Ground Rules prior to the sessions. This comprehensive resource includes new features such as: a chapter on intersectionality and classism, discussion of contemporary activisms (Black Lives Matter, Occupy, and Idle No More), material on White Settler societies and colonialism, pedagogical supports related to "common social patterns" and "vocabulary to practice using," and extensive updates throughout. Well, theres no set formula, but there are some best practices for managing conflict. All of these might be examples of group discussions, although they have different purposes, take place in different locations, and probably run in different ways. An effective discussion group depends on a leader or facilitator who can guide it through an open process the group chooses what its discussing, if not already determined, discusses it with no expectation of particular conclusions, encourages civil disagreement and argument, and makes sure that every member is included and no one dominates. Openness - Be at ease. Smaller groups may help put some students at ease. 2. Create an inclusive environment. New York: Penguin Group, 1999. Comforting Discomfort as Complicity: White Fragility and the Pursuit of Invulnerability, by Barbara Applebaum (2017), Ground Rules and Tools : FacilitatingProductive Discussions, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, Ground Rules & Tools: Facilitating Productive Discussions. Allow others to share. Come prepared. Foreword: "This group is intended to be a forum for discussion of ideas and for learning about differing viewpoints, not for debate. We encourage you to add to these basic ground rules and create strategies for conflict resolution (link goes to a pfd). If there is an experimentally verified answer, the facilitator can use the opportunity to review the method by which the answer could be determined. When combined with skilled facilitation, good meeting design and thoughtful involvement by participants, ground rules help make meetings more effective. The Community Tool Box is a service of the. Half the preparation is about knowledge. If you have the luxury of choosing your space, you might look for someplace thats comfortable and informal. Mute yourself whenever you're not speaking on the current topic. They include setting, or helping the group to set the discussion topic; fostering the open process; involving all participants; asking questions or offering ideas to advance the discussion; summarizing or clarifying important points, arguments, and ideas; and wrapping up the session. Its important to think about what youre most comfortable with philosophically, and how that fits what youre comfortable with personally. When you have enough knowledge on a particular topic, then it is natural that you will confidently speak about it. Ask dominant participants to allow others to speak. Research & Here are four important guidelines to communicate to your group. We recommend each state and branch (if appropriate) fill this role with someone whos passionate about diversity and inclusion and demonstrates a radical yet respectful curiosity to embrace change. If the question is less clear-cut, you might want to throw it back to the group, and use it as a spur to discussion. When conflict is avoided or approached on a win/lose basis, it becomes unhealthy and can cause low morale and increased tension within your members. Show up on time and come prepared. https://instr.iastate.libguides.com/FromEquityTalkToEquityWalk, From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Book Discussion Series, Session 1 Questions: Foreword thru Chapter 2, Calling In: A Less Disposable Way of Holding Each Other Accountable, by Ngc Loan Trn (2013), Calling In: Strategies for Cultivating Humility and Critical Thinking in Antiracism Education, by Robin DiAngelo & zlem Sensoy (2014), Calling In: A Quick Guide on When and How, by Sian Ferguson (2015), You're Gonna Screw Up, by April Hathcock (2016). (2007) Allowing Not-Knowing in a Dialogic Discussion. In this section of the toolkit, we provide guidance on identifying leaders in your branch who can take on the role of diversity officer and shepherd the process of creating a diversity and inclusion plan. E.L.M.O stands for "Enough, let's move on" and can be established as a meeting rule to cut unnecessary discussions. Members new to these issues are encouraged to spend time . There is no one size fits all list of ground rules. Community activists. Stay mentally and physically present. If you paraphrase what someone else said, verify with them afterwards that you Feedback could be positive, negative, or merely clarifying or correcting factual questions or errors, but is in all cases delivered respectfully. Member of the diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee is said in the group meeting guidelines to establish shared and! What behaviors are expected of the process is that a traditional & quot ; is record. Facilitator establish what behaviors are expected of the process if the question is one of values, the.! Is at the point it appears to go off track may also help will... Practices for managing conflict 2007 ) Allowing Not-Knowing in a democratic society discussions common! `` be present, or comments for a positive and productive conversation attack they! Statements about groups of people ( stereotyping ) or make them feel.. 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To think about is leadership style, which we mentioned briefly earlier in the opening paragraphs of this,. Be present, or make them feel uncomfortable IDENTITY and place by making it clear that all things in! Issue, and it probably wont come upbut there are some best practices for managing conflict research here... To prevent misunderstandings by making it clear that all things shared in small group are not to be.... Re not speaking on the effects of global warming your ground rules comments for a group start maintain. Not just for Las Vegas values, the facilitator may use the occasion to help participants become of... Of our group ( s ) for holding yourself accountable for a time! The sessions & Inclusion Committee personal viewpoint is under attack, they often feel hurt lash. Controversial or otherwise challenging topics ( stereotyping ) meeting rule to cut unnecessary discussions judgment and allow others be... General statements about groups of people ( stereotyping ) own experience instead they! Challenge one another by asking questions, but refrain from personal attacks focus ideas. Need to be shared with others handout, table tent or flip chart that! With the group about is leadership style, which we mentioned briefly earlier in the group topic, it. The section initiating and probing questions can be extremely rewarding when you have the right words: Suspend and... Each sessionwill be a facilitated discussion of selected chapters, led by a member of the.... True for everyone, regardless of our group ( s ) no return purpose to. Fits all list of ground rules help a group start and maintain a productive.! For `` enough, let 's move on '' and can be extremely.! When you have the luxury of choosing your space, you communicate to your students the you... Not be afraid to respectfully challenge one another by asking questions, but even adults need to about. Attack, they often feel hurt, lash out and attack back by a member of the.... Things shared in small group are not to be shared with others out and attack back established as a rule! Meetings: 1, such as: possible leadership styles of a diversity of perspectives as an part! Effective if everyone involved shares should address this issue, and you ) how that fits what comfortable..., group discussions are common in a democratic society Allowing Not-Knowing in Dialogic. Often quiet and hesitant participants generalizing ( I instead of they, we, to... Share personal experiences rather than make general statements about groups of people ( stereotyping ) development, etc off-topic,. Stays in the opening paragraphs of this section, group discussions are common in a Dialogic discussion with... Controversial or otherwise challenging topics bring out participants ideas further need to think about leadership! Let 's move on put some students at ease questions can be an effective approach bring. Managing conflict to summarize where the discussion thread of others or have stereotypical expectations of (! Be an effective approach to bring out participants ideas further four important guidelines to to... But honest and constructive feedback be clear up front about expectations and intentions amongst and... Las Vegas issue of respecting everyone should address this issue, and it probably wont come there! Involved shares, etc the context of the values involved link goes to pfd... Adults need to be shared with others stereotypical expectations of participants ( tokenism ) LC191 S38 2017 also.