How can you create an inclusive and respectful meeting agenda for all participants?

I've found that asking what the others would like to accomplish during our time together is a game-changer. Of course, that depends, to some degree, on the goal of the meeting.

Cultivate an environment that fosters the seamless exchange of knowledge both horizontally and vertically throughout the entire organization. When crafting meeting agendas, actively seek input from participants, ensuring representation of diverse perspectives, roles, and varying levels of experience. Whenever possible, distribute meeting materials beforehand to provide participants with the opportunity to review and prepare. Encourage engagement and invite individual responses to capture a range of insights. Lead by example and embody the participatory behavior you aspire to see within your team.

Start by sharing clear objectives. Then ask each participant how they would like to meaningfully participate. Also ask how they would like others to meaningfully participate and if there are any expectations of others they want to share.

To create an inclusive and respectful meeting agenda, consider diverse representation, encourage open communication, ensure accessibility, use respectful language, allow agenda review, manage time effectively, and empower the facilitator to promote inclusivity and respect. By incorporating these strategies, you can foster a welcoming and respectful environment for all participants

know where and when you are talking...the temperature in the room and who you are talking to. All should be allowed, even jokes, but at the right time. We can not allow fear (retaliation) and sensitivity to stop us from sharing a valuable message. Even when wrong, we should be allow to speak out, if we are wrong then lets learn the lesson and move on

Creating an inclusive and respectful meeting agenda involves careful consideration of the participants’ diverse needs, perspectives, and contributions. The following are a few suggestions that may promote inclusivity and respect: Pre-meeting Preparation: ? Understand Your Audience: Know who will be attending the meeting and their roles, expertise, and any specific needs they might have. ? Seek Input: Before finalizing the agenda, ask participants for input on topics or issues they believe should be addressed. This encourages a sense of ownership and culture of inclusivity.

It’s very important to get consensus on agenda topics in order to have a valuable conversation. The best way to do this is to do research upfront, propose topics and test with the audience

Politely request the participants to add topic(s) to the agenda. Help them understand a solid agenda will not only control the flow of the meeting but also will ensure that the meeting is productive and focussed. This will lead to an improved team collaboration as well.

Some people need time to digest what is discussed in the meeting and I ask that people can come back to me after the meeting with their own thoughts and ideas if they feel more comfortable that way. Being a 'quiet contributor' does not mean that people are shy / unconfident, it might just be that they need time to consider all the options.

Get input from participants on the agenda. This makes them feel valued and ensures the meeting covers topics relevant to everyone.

A great meeting agenda should have a balance between structure and flexibility. Structure helps you keep the meeting focused, organized, and on track, while flexibility allows you to adapt to the changing dynamics and needs of the group. You can create a balance by setting a clear agenda with time limits, and roles, but also leaving some space for questions, comments, or brainstorming.

Enough focus should be given while developing the agenda of a meeting. The agenda should be well structured,yet flexible. To make it well structured (i)it is a good practice to include some general topics like health,safety,environment,inclusion-diversity etc in the agenda,(ii) clarify the meeting objectives and goals,(iii) discuss participants' views on the agenda, (iv) outline topics, questions etc for discussion, (v) identify who leads which topic, (vi) have standard template and (vii) if possible, allocate time for each topic. And to make it flexible,(i) ask for participants' opinion on the topic during meeting (ii) keep some time for brain storming, mind mapping etc,(iii) request for feedback, and last but not the least (iv)discuss AOB

De acuerdo, moderar los temas e incitar a tomar medias y conclusiones, evitar a toda costa salirse del tema principal. Las ideas y los diferentes puntos de vista debe ser siempre bienvenidos.

In my experience most meetings still have loose agendas that don’t let people know what is expected both leading up to and at the meeting. Simply clarifying that a bit helps. I am a big believer in sprints that have a singularity of focus on outcomes that are transparent and inclusive. I think this approach has more tangible results, is respective of the time of contributors and communicates clearly on what success looks like. Many wonder if more than half of their meetings could have been an email. If a meeting isn’t a sharing of live insights and contributions… maybe it should be an email.

The only guiding principles are: 1. time box 2. check inputs 3. check output 4. check parties All else is just a matter of method. If you thing about flexibility and structure your are thinking about the method.

Value individual's time.Don't host meetings that could've been emails. Be prepared for the meeting. Set an expectation that pre-reading be completed. Have an opportunity for questions. Engage the audience. Be inclusive.

Agree with the need to be inclusive, be prepared, and have a real working agenda with objectives. I have also found that inadvertently making a mistake actually helps. If you cut someone off, misunderstand a comments, or do something that appears incorrect, own up to the error and publicly acknowledge your mistake. People are always quick to forgive if you make a mistake, and it tends to humanize you in the eyes of your audience. The degree to which you show that you don't have all the answers and don't take yourself that seriously indicates you are seeking the best solution, not just your personal solution. This goes a long way, and creates respect and inclusiveness effectively. Nothing beats really listening...

In preparing for meetings with clear goals, embracing inclusive and respectful language is crucial, especially when guiding strong personalities. By setting an atmosphere where each person feels valued and heard, we cultivate a sense of belonging. Implementing ground rules that promote open and respectful exchanges ensures that all viewpoints, regardless of their origin, enrich our collective understanding. Leading with kindness and empathy allows everyone's strengths to contribute positively, keeping the focus on our shared objectives. How can we further create a space where diverse voices feel encouraged and supported to express their unique perspectives, ensuring a calm and productive meeting environment?

One of the things which is to seek opinion from mostly all participants as each person has a unique perspective due to their background & experience. Usually everyone does not like to speak until nudged, hence it is needed to bring about inclusivity into a meeting.

Là encore, rien que d'assez classique : des règles à respecter pour que chacun puisse écouter et être entendu, sans agressivité. J'insisterai personnellement sur le fait de préparer les intervenants à disposer, à l'issue de la réunion (dans les jours qui suivent) d'un compte rendu (traduit le cas échéant) : * Fixer des règles de base (rappelez les règles de respect et d'écoute) * Valoriser et encourager la diversité des points de vue * Gérer les conflits de manière constructive * Assurer l'accessibilité (options d'interprétation, de transcription et de traduction) * Solliciter du feedback a posteriori

When building an agenda for a longer meeting, for example longer than one hour, be sure to build in breaks for all attendees. Make sure that the break is long enough to allow people to use the restroom, grab a snack, go outside to get some fresh air, attend to personal needs, etc. Scheduling breaks can greatly benefit those with certain medical needs, visible and invisible disabilities, breastfeeding parents who need to pump, etc. Forgoing scheduled breaks and simply telling people that they can get up to take a break at any time during a meeting is not effective -- many will not feel comfortable leaving the meeting.

It's essential to gather information about the meeting participants ahead of time, including their roles, departments, and professional backgrounds. Understanding who will be attending allows you to tailor the agenda to ensure it addresses the interests and needs of all participants. Anticipating what each attendee aims to gain from the meeting can help in structuring the agenda to cover relevant topics.

Foster inclusivity and respect in meetings by co-creating agendas with diverse team members, and prioritising topics that reflect their interests and concerns. Incorporate time for inclusive activities such as roundtable discussions, where everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute and establish guidelines for respectful communication to ensure that all voices are heard and valued. Regularly solicit feedback to continuously refine and improve the meeting process for greater inclusivity and engagement.

While considering the diversity and accessibility of the group is very important, especially if you'd like to have active interactions in that meeting, determining what role each person would play in that meeting is the best way to achieve this. If you aren't sure why that person is attending, then you can't account for their voice, and you can't add meaningful ways for them to participate from any perspective. Only then can you tailor for the needs of the attendees in a way that considering diversity and accessibility.

1 veillez à inclure des sujets diversifiés tout en gardant les objectifs en tête 2 donner la parole à chacun avec un ma?tre du temps pour cadrer les conférencier dans l'ame ?? 3 favoriser un environnement d'écoute active 4 prendre en compte les besoins et les contributions de chaque personne présente

No se puede perder de vista que una buena definición de objetivos, un buen desarrollo de la reunión debe coronarse con un buen documento ( minuta) que recoja las decisiones, contribuciones de los convocados y el plan de seguimiento con los responsables. Sino se elabora un minuta correctamente, puede incurrirse en el error de obviar y no dar crédito a las diferentes opniones y contribuciones.

Always what I believe is a critical step - ask participants for their feedback or as I like to categorize it “report card” it.

Es importante escuchar puntos de vista u opiniones coincidentes o también diferentes, es lo que enriquece y proporciona un horizonte extenso y amplio de conocimientos. Adicionalmente, sugiero ser genuinos, emotivos espontáneos y auténticos!

I love the plus/delta technique for collecting feedback at the end of a meeting. Plus - what went well and should be continued. What is the one thing we should change to improve the meeting/outcome. Tabulate your observations, check for agreement across the group, then implement the changes where appropriate! Acting on feedback empowers the group and drives engagement!

Siempre, Las conclusiones de la agenda no pueden ser solo sobre forma, también debe haber espacio para la retroalimentación, sugerencias, el modo de abordar los temas y las oportunidades de mejora.

Agenda is like a written plan for a meeting. For a planned regular meeting, prepare the agenda during the previous meeting, and update before the date of meeting, involve members and consider their inputs, The early distribution of the agenda makes it more clear for those who can attend and for you to know who may not attend. Stick to your agenda, with little flexibility according to the scenario.

Every meeting is different and the right type of people should only be in the meeting. If the meeting is more of a planning meeting, wonder and invention should be in the meeting as this is a meeting high in the proverbial clouds at the 30,000 foot view. Ideas a flowing and you don't want someone with tenacity that's more boots on the ground who is ready to push the project over the finish line. Talking about everything in a meeting is like meeting stew and you end up coming out of the meeting not knowing if anything was accomplished. Focus on the type of meeting and put the right Working Geniuses in that meeting.

In my view, I'd add an important thing, for a very specific audience: introverts. In western culture, extroverts are often over valued in meetings, as they are loud and contribute for good dinamic call. Whereas you may have absolutely brilliant people in your meeting which just happen to be quiet. Be aware of your own biases, and work out ways to overcome it, and give space for quiet people to express their view/feedback in unconventional ways, which they feel more comfortable.

Give time for best practices. So often we are trying to give new information without considering what may be working effectively now for teams.

If you ask meeting participants to share their opinions or viewpoints - always start with the least experienced person. If you ask for opinions starting from the most experienced one, you can be sure less experienced participants, even if they have their own viewpoints, will not be brave enough to share them, but will repeat what more experienced colleagues said instead. By letting Juniors their voice to be heard you will not only help them to grow in the team, but also you might get interesting viewpoints, while Seniors most likely will be more open to consider what their less experienced, but thanks to that quite often more open colleagues thinks about certain area.