The Power of Meeting Ground Rules in Business and at Work

Whether I’m facilitating a strategic planning session, a team in conflict or I’m participating in a team meeting myself facilitated by a fellow practitioner, meeting ground rules are a powerful tool. These are the ground rules that my governance study group has established:

Ground rules for working together – posted prominently in each team meeting – serve a number of purposes, including but not limited to:

• Establishing boundaries, created and agreed upon by the entire team, for working effectively together (e.g., it’s a commitment; or promise; or covenant to each other);
• Allowing the facilitator / meeting leader to keep the group on track using these objective ground-rule boundaries – e.g., focusing on the principles (ground rules) rather than the personalities (individual people, so as to avoid marginalizing any member of the team);
• Empowering the team to facilitate themselves by using their own ground rules;
• Providing a basis for dispute resolution in the event of team conflict;
• Supporting the creative work and decision-making process of the group by helping them to move forward – whether they’re stuck, or not.

How will you use meeting ground rules to support your team’s success this week and beyond, in business and at work?