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Geoff
Ball & Associates |
| Key meeting facilitation | City Council retreats | ||
Brief Essence |
Do preparation needed to really see into the key and underlying issues - both task oriented and interpersonal Bring key people together - most often into one room - use a working group memory to support holding a variety of sometimes conflicting ideas without the need for resolution. Create an environment for really listening - supporting quiet time - encouraging reflection. Seeking resolution where wanted. |
Work closely with the senior person present and the manager in charge of the retreat. Seek group agreement on how they will work together - what type of outcomes, what decision making process. Learn key organizational and interpersonal issues for this current period of time. Support the conversation in its process in ways that allow the Team to work through its content without seeking to direct the group to specirfic |
City Councils, unlike non-govemmental boards, must in most states meet in public and in California at least meet in their own city / town. The meetings must be noticed. However, the public is invited to observe, not participate. For the most part the public understands the value of the council having time to just talk about how they work together. Agendized meetings just don't allow the time or setting for good conversations back and forth. |
| Examples | Conflict resolution for boards and teams Partnership issues Initial founding board meeting |
Quarterly meetings that review progress and plan for the future. Setting of stretch goals. Exploring topics of relevance to the work of the team that are likely to aid working together. |
Yearly Council retreats and sometimes, when conflict is serious, a special series of meetings to work things out as best they can. For example, one Council I worked with wrote itself a 'charter' for working together that helped develop shared expectations. |