Following Up (After the Meeting Ends…)

After the meeting, it is important for the coordinator to send out meeting information, such as minutes, key decisions, or trainings/events, in a timely manner. While some people prefer to wait until closer to the next meeting, sending this information out shortly after the meeting allows for input and action from team members who were not able to attend the meeting as well as provides a reminder to members about work they need to do between meetings.

Some teams have on-going or project based subcommittees. It is also important for the work in those subcommittees to be shared with the whole of the team. This helps with accountability and sustainability of the work. Some teams share subcommittee meeting minutes to everyone or report back to the team on a regular basis.

After that, the cycle starts over again with planning for the next meeting! Once you establish a routine for how you do your agendas, plan the meeting, facilitate the meeting, and provide follow-up, it often makes the work of the coordinator easier and helps the team feel more aware of the team vision and timelines. Meeting coordination and facilitation can sometimes be overwhelming, but by breaking it into smaller pieces, delegating work to others, and having a plan can help!

I hope some of these tips for meeting planning and facilitation through this blog series have helped your work. What are other resources that have benefited you in planning and facilitation?