Our institution Private nonprofit 3000 students on campus where we work traditional campus Campus majors in Business Arts amp Sciences Education Engineering Technology and Aviation ID: 671876
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Slide1
Reclaim your Team Time
Presented by Leah Richards + Sarah StearnsSlide2
Our institution
Private, non-profit
3,000
students on
campus (where we work – traditional campus)Campus majors in Business, Arts & Sciences, Education, Engineering, Technology and AviationSNHU in general has 80,000+ students total with online and competency based programsSlide3
Student
Success Division
Branch
of
academic affairs, includes four units:Academic AdvisingThe Learning Center General Education
Center for Community Engaged Learning
Our teams
Academic Advising
Sarah is Director of Academic Advising Office
Shared advising model; New student program for first year, then faculty advisors9 full-time staff plus a graduate assistant30+ Peer Advising Leaders + 8 student staff
Learning Center
Leah is Assistant Dean of Student Success and
Director
of the Learning CenterAcademic support through academic tutoring, mentoring and coaching8 full-time staff plus 4 graduate assistants90 student staff – peer educatorsSlide4
We met working in Residence Life
at
a large, public university 11 years ago. We
have 25
years of combined professional experience.Translation: We have been on teams with useless staff meetings, attended painful retreats, and participated in some awkward ice breakers and team builders! Slide5
1. Help
you reclaim your team time (meetings and retreats) to be both productive AND enjoyable.
2. Inspire
you to prioritize planning your time with your
team.3. Share real life examples of what we’ve done. Including practical ideas, resources to inspire, and
ideas that don’t take much time or money
Our plan for today:
To
start...Slide6
Have you been to a meeting
or retreat where…
…that one guy over-contributes?
…there are 15 agenda items and you get through 3?
…nothing discussed is of relevance to your job? …the one person who can make the decisions isn’t invited? …you are forced to have ‘mandatory fun’ with no purpose? …you recap exactly what you covered at the last meeting? …nothing happens until 15 minutes after the start time? …you discuss an agenda item for an hour with no progress?
…the entire goal of the meeting is unclear?Slide7
Turn to a friend (maybe a new friend!) and
discuss team or department meetings on your
campus for three minutesSlide8
Clap if this represents any of your experience or your new friend’s experience with team meetingsSlide9
What about you?
(real life example alert)
Red = I lead meetings
Green = I participate in meetings
We’ve used this method to make decisions or answer questions: Do you like celebrating office birthdays?
Should we co-sponsor this event?Do you think this new initiative worked well or not?Team meetings – 60 minutes or 90 minutes? Slide10
Why is this important?
Because poorly planned/run meetings
…
Waste of time and money
Decrease productivity and create less time for ‘deep work’Decrease staff moraleBecause meeting time is increasingExecutives in 1960s: 10 hours a week Executives in 2010s: 23 hours a week
Because research tells us we need changeIn the survey of 182 managers:65% said meetings keep them from completing their own workOne said, “I cannot get my head above water to breathe during the week
.”
71% said meetings are unproductive and inefficient
62% said that meetings miss opportunities to bring the team closer together.
From “Stop the Meeting Madness” in Harvard Business Review July/Aug 2017Slide11
"We're now addicted to meetings that insulate us from the work we ought to be doing
.“
Al
Pittampalli
, founder of the Modern Meeting Company and author of
Read This Before Our Next Meeting: How We Can Get More DoneSlide12
From
“Why Meetings Kill Productivity,” by Ray Williams
Psychology Today, April 15, 2012
What statistics tell us…
The workweek has expanded steadily over the last decade70% of employees say status update meetings waste valuable time
45% of executives believe banning meetings for at least one day a week would help productivity (do it….No Meeting Mondays!)
Many of us are wasting a lot of time in bad meetings!Slide13
It doesn’t have to be this way!
“
The
key lesson I’ve learned is that a good portion of what ails academic meetings stems from factors within our control.
If we brought the same degree of mindfulness and care to planning meeting agendas as we do to, for example, formulating course objectives or research plans, we could pre-empt many of the common frustrations that bedevil our meetings. If we critically reflect upon the ways in which we think about meetings and their purpose — in the same way that we would critically reflect on a particular argument in a writing project — our workflow would improve dramatically.”
From “Why We Hate Our Own Meetings” The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 20, 2017Author is Kevin Gannon, professor of History at Grand View UniversitySlide14
Our priorities:
We give and receive feedback regularly
We work hard to have productive weekly staff meetings
We plan 2-4 retreats a yearSlide15
Staff / Department Meetings:
A detailed agenda is a MUST
An agenda can be a tool to:
Teach and learn
Share info and deadlines/to-do list items Set clear goals for meetingsPlan for future meetings
Add a little fun Slide16
Anatomy of an agenda
Goal of meeting
Updates snuck in small doses
Whimsy for fun
Professional Development
(we read an article for reflection before the meeting)
Planning for futureSlide17
Meetings are NOT just for updates!
Meetings should have a concrete goal
Are you making a decision today? Reflecting on an experience?
Set the goal clearly and make sure everyone knows it.Slide18
But I have so much info to share!
Some tips for sharing updates:
Email
info at
least 1-2 days before meeting and let folks know you can discuss at meeting if there are questions.
Print info on the agendaIf you must discuss it, find a way to fit it in some way other than just the leader talking at folks. Slide19
Put reminders/to-do list items on the agenda
This is at the bottom of every agenda.
Occasionally, we need a bigger list
Slide20
Agenda full of info – emailed before staff meeting in case clarification is neededSlide21
Make the most of your time:
Be respectful to people by starting and ending on time always
The latecomers will catch on
Research shows that using odd times (i.e. meeting starts at 10:10) works!
Assign weird times for topics (i.e. 7 minutes, 23 minutes)
Have a timekeeper!Use 15 minute “stand up meetings” for quick decisions, conversations or updatesHave a plan for when off-topic comments arise (they will
always
arise)
Again, times help
Also, have a clock in the room so everyone is aware (bonus – folks won’t need to look at their phones to check the time!)Slide22
Updates CAN be engaging and interesting
It takes some preparing, but it can be done!
Assign times to topics and have someone set a timer
Write topics and assigned times on slips of paper. Put them all in an envelope and then circulate throughout your meeting. Include a fun activity as a surprise!
10-18:
The number of minutes the average person can spend paying attention to something before their mind starts to wander. (that’s why Ted Talks are perfect – in general and for your team meetings!)Slide23Slide24
Use a “Reading Club” to add professional development to meetings – even just 15 minute discussions
Use 10 minutes at end of meeting to prepare for next discussion – have folks write feedback and share with someone to compile
Have everyone bring notes to meeting ahead of time or spend first 5-10 minutes in quiet reflection before discussions
Take a vote using Outlook voting features to save time in meetings
Use time outside of meetings, too!Slide25
Feedback
is key
Stop, Start, Continue
Everyone writes one item each they’d like to see the team stop, start, or continue doing
Have them spend first 15 minutes of meeting typing then print and bring for anonymityThen – print and share!Temperature check during retreats/meetingsHave folks give you a show of hands – 1-5 that they understand or don’t, or are ready to make a decision, etc360 evaluations are importantSlide26
Real examples of what emerged from Stop, Start, Continue activitySlide27
And be sure someone is taking notes
and following up on tasks assignedSlide28
Remember:
Some people need decisions, some need time to reflect and process, others want info, some want to be heard, and others just want fun. Each meeting can’t please everyone, but you can be mindful and intentional and try to rotate the focus.Slide29
What about retreats?Slide30
Longer staff development meetings
(retreats) are important because…
You need to step away from the daily grind
They allow you to dive deeper together
They give you space to plan for the long gameThey help improve staff dynamics/moraleThey remind us why we do this work ….if done well!
They need to be relevant, interactive, and done with a clear purpose in mind – and can be FREE!Slide31
How do I make a retreat fun, engaging and worth everyone’s time out of the office?
Be comfortable – these should not feel like every day meetings
Get out of your space!
You have lots of free campus space
Res Hall lounges are awesome on breaks!Kitchen in residence hall? Sounds like a team Iron Chef contest!Or – challenge another department to a bake offPotluck lunch = free for officeAnyone with a nice patio live nearby?Dress can be more casualMaybe yoga pants are okay for this day?
Plan for fun….with a purposeShare leadership if appropriate Can someone else plan an activity – or help run sections?Follow the staff meeting rules – but with flair
Have a agenda – and maybe even a fun invitation
Use time wisely
Gather feedback before, during and afterSlide32Slide33
Make time to get to know each other
FREE
16 Personalities
(Myers-Briggs inspired)
Johari WindowTrue ColorsEnneagram NOT FREEStrengths FinderMyers-BriggsDISC Slide34
Johari WindowSlide35
Dive into an issue or new idea
Do some brain mapping to plan
When did you last revisit your mission?
Do a brain dump (solo reflection time)
Big picture, strategic planningReflection activity on year, semester, or a big initiativeDebate issue/idea – with assigned sidesReview data outside of departmentInstitutional retention dataInstitutional graduation ratesAny other data you collect?
Remember your processors and introverts!Can you use…Small group or partner discussions?
Reflection and post it note sharing?
Share agenda prior to retreat so all
can feel prepared Slide36
Design a themed retreat
For example, use the 6 Stages of Appreciative Advising as the 6 Stages of a Retreat.
This is
an agenda from a retreat
we planned using Appreciate Inquiry and the 4 Ds as our model. Slide37
This lead to another
Appreciative
Inquiry themed
retreatSlide38
From Appreciate Inquiry retreat, we were able to make a list of all that we identified as strengths, which was typed and shared with each other.
This served as an important reminder for us during some challenging moments in the following year. Slide39
Free Ideas
Free or cheap art with a purpose
Paint canvases with a word or phrase to inspire
Even cheaper than canvases? Paper plates!
Continuum activities (stand on this side if…)Guess Who? (guess which fact is true about each person)There are free online word game generatorsWord searches, crosswords, other fun word puzzles you can customize to your teamHave staff write little notes of gratitude to each other during retreat
Play games togetherHeads Up, Game of Phones (so fun!), PictionarySlide40
Free Ideas
Watching webinars,
TedTalks
, other NACADA videos
Is there an expert on campus that could join you?Career Center could run a Myers Briggs session, perhapsDiversity Programs office run an inclusivity trainingInternational Students office could share resources/dataHow well do you know your Registrar’s OfficeJoint staff meeting with Disability ServicesAdmissions staff could share trends about the new classAnd on and on and on…
Even just a 5 minute brain break helps!Challenge small groups in team to label all 50 statesOr – have a quiz on the on history of your institution(winner gets to leave a half-hour early on Friday?)Slide41
Not quite free ideas
Go kayaking/hiking together
Take a cooking class
DIY Painting class
Canvas Painting….maybe where everyone works on a square of a picture to hang in the officePottery painting – new pen holders for everyone!Take a cooking classThose ‘Escape Rooms’ are super team building timeSlide42
Thank you!
The slideshow is posted in the conference resources.
We
are also happy to share any other info that might be helpful
.Leah Richards Sarah StearnsL.Richards1@snhu.edu S.Stearns@snhu.edu