WHAT CCG DOES TO ASSURE PRODUCTIVE OUTCOMES FROM YOUR
MEETINGS…
Many visitors to this web site may not have had personal experience planning
and executing a meeting (or other group process) in partnership with a
Facilitator from outside his or her organization. It may be helpful to review
examples of the specific kinds of support that Consensus Consulting Group (CCG)
can provide.
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 First of all, CCG will interview the Sanctioner (sponsor) of the meeting
well in advance of the event to clearly define the following strategic
points:
- What are the objectives of the meeting?
- Who are the Stakeholders in the topic(s) under consideration at the
meeting?
- Which Stakeholders should attend, and why?
- What is the value…the potential dollar impact…of the meeting?
- What is the Sanctioner’s view of the environment and circumstances
surrounding the topic(s) of the meeting, and how might that view differ from
that of the Stakeholders?
- What concerns, issues, and ideas can be anticipated to come out of the
group?
- What ‘tangential’ concerns, issues, and ideas might surface…the
hidden agenda?
- What lines of thought must be discouraged or absolutely avoided during
the meeting due to the high probability that they would compromise the
quality of the group’s work?
- What cultural norms of the Client organization, if any, might prescribe
the manner in which the Facilitator should best handle conflict when/if it
develops?
- What specific actionable items absolutely must come out of this
meeting?
- What metrics of performance are most trusted within the Client
organization’s culture?
- What steps will be needed to keep the Client organization’s executive
management and other interested parties in the loop (those with a
‘need-to-know’, but not in attendance at the meeting)?
- Through interviews with the Sanctioner (perhaps others, at the
Sanctioner’s discretion), CCG will also clarify essential logistical details
of the meeting in advance of the event:
- Date, time, duration?
- How many will attend?
- What facility(ies) are appropriate, available, or preferred?
- Seating arrangements and room layout?
- Ambience of the meeting (jovial, somber, formal, informal, etc…)?
- Resources necessary to conduct the meeting (A/V or other equipment or
props)?
- By what means, and at what time, will the meeting be announced to
Stakeholders?
- What type of advance promotion of the meeting will be used to prepare
Stakeholders (or executive management) and to build enthusiasm?
- What preparatory work in advance of the meeting might help Stakeholders
to be better contributors?
- With input from the Sanctioner, CCG will develop a concise statement for
him or her to deliver at the opening of the meeting. These Sanctioner’s
Opening Comments will make the work to be conducted at the meeting unambiguous
and understandable to all Stakeholders.
- CCG will prepare, edit, and distribute any advance collateral materials
needed to lay the groundwork for the meeting. For example, CCG has prepared an
overview of consensus-building group processes to get Stakeholders (and
others) more comfortable with what they will experience at the facilitated
meeting. Distributing this document to Stakeholders in advance of the meeting
will have a beneficial impact on their effectiveness as participants and on
the quality of the outcomes of the meeting.
- CCG will, if the Client organization desires, make all arrangements for
the meeting facilities and related necessities and amenities.
- CCG will be responsible for setup of the meeting room on the day(s) of the
meeting, for providing all consumable meeting supplies, and for equipment
knockdown at the end of the meeting.
- CCG combines the Sanctioner’s input regarding objectives, organization
culture, Stakeholder perspectives, and required outcomes of the meeting…with
its own experience and off-line research…to prepare a ‘template’ for the
meeting. This template is, in essence, an outline of the meeting based upon
the best possible visualization of how it will probably unfold. The actual
meeting is still 100% spontaneous, but the template provides a reservoir of
prompts that can be used in a non-manipulative way to keep the group on track
and avoid getting ‘stuck’.
- Once the Sanctioner has delivered his or her opening statement, CCG will
essentially carry the show for the balance of the meeting. CCG uses a
StoryBoarding format to guide the group through a process of identifying,
examining, and developing consensus on:
- A shared background…a common database of facts, perceptions, objectives,
and needs;
- Issues/problems/opportunities needing attention in order to achieve
objectives;
- Priorities and/or sequencing of those items identified as requiring
attention;
- Action items, timelines, and accountabilities for addressing the
priorities and moving forward; and,
- Continuous improvement of the facilitated consensus-building process.
- As a minimum, CCG will produce and deliver a roll-up report of the
proceedings and outcomes of the meeting in the same graphical StoryBoard
format used at the session. This graphic report reinforces the sense of
ownership of the Stakeholders. It provides an archival record, a document that
can be used for internal/external communication of meeting outcomes, and a
checklist for follow-up on action items.
- During many facilitated sessions, selected action items will be identified
that require resources or expertise beyond what is available to the
Stakeholders or their organization. Having already been intimately involved in
developing action items at the facilitated group session, CCG can transition
smoothly to help fill this resource gap. CCG’s core strengths in
implementation include:
- Mission and vision statement development;
- Business, strategic, and tactical plan preparation…for circumstances
including business-as-usual, turnaround, and ‘going to the next level’;
- New-product development (process and practice);
- Project management;
- Change management;
- Problem solving (e.g., quality, organization structure, business
process, etc…); and,
- Mapping, development, and documentation of methods, procedures, or
policy.
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