Holding The Meeting

Interactive meetings (chats) differ from "synchronous" types of debates using mailing lists or KidSpace Communities both in terms of what is shared, and how. The latter allows for more thoughtful and longer notes, and everybody gets a say. In interactive meetings, hosts may have to ensure that all opinions are being heard.

Suggested check list for hosts:

1. Welcome.
   • Who are present? Where do they live? Who are they?
   • The meeting's topic
   • Time available for this discussion.
   • Minutes will be produced/published after the meeting, how, and why.
   • Your role as the meeting host.
2. Ask what, when, how, where, who to get the discussion going.
3. Make sure all participants' views are heard. Pay particular attention to the views and needs of participants not having English as a first language.
4. Encourage creative thoughts and suggestions. Stimulate discussion using questions and comparisons. Depending on the discussion's purpose, consider asking participants to postpone critical analyses.
5. Periodically, summarize conclusions for participants. (Summaries may also be used to redirect discussion if it gets too far off the track.)
6. If relevant, make sure there's enough time devoted to making/discussing a joint action plan (how, where, when, who, how).
7. Summarize all new ideas and conclusions
8. Should we meet again?
9. Thank you and see later!

Let them run the meeting their way. Discuss experiences afterwards.

Next page: Using Meeting Results To Promote Causes

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Updated by Odd de Presno - July 3, 2004. Copyright ® 1990-2004 Kidlink - All rights reserved.

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