This one method gets a lot of play from me. It’s a quick design checklist that allows us to get into the work, and leads to good participatory meetings.
I found it on one of my favourite thinker’s blog – Chris Corrigan. (You may have already deduced he’s a fav, since his work is scattered through out this blog & if you aren’t signed up to his newsletter and you’re interested in the work of participatory leadership, HIGHLY recommend)
Chris lays the simple meeting design out like this.
The meeting itself is the last thing we design.
First we design the bookends: Purpose on the one hand and harvest/action on the other hand.
Purpose
What is the big purpose that we are trying to fulfill?
Harvest
What do you want to harvest?
– in our hands ( tangible)?
– in our hearts ( intangible)?
Once we know that, then we can develop an invitation and finally choose processes that bridge the two sides.
Wise action
How will we make action happen?
– who will help us tune in to the reality of the situation?
– How will you keep people together?
Through the meeting, the group achieves a shared understanding and develops wise, actionable strategies, rooted in a common purpose and a deeply felt need.
Invitation
What is the inspiring question that will bring people together?
How will we invite people so they know they are needed?
Meeting
What will you do to make the meeting creative and powerful?
Once we know all of this we can choose a meeting process that helps move from purpose to wise action. We can use pre-existing processes like Open Space or design new ones particular to our needs.
If we’re committed to building a more vibrant, sustainable future, we should expect more from our meetings. This simple tool offers a practical and adaptable design checklist, empowering teams and process designers to quickly initiate productive work.
I encourage you to try it and share your insights.
