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Ground Rules

 

An essential task early on in planning meetings is for the group to agree on ground rules. Ground rules are logistical agreements a group makes to improve its ability to work as a group. They are the standards of operating that determine how people conduct their discussions and how they will make their decisions. The value of ground rules lies in their very creation. Any preordained rule such as, "We should respect each other" will garner minimal commitment. Only through dialogue will a rule achieve its maximum self-enforcing potential. The discussion can be initiated with the question: "What operating principles should we adopt in order to make our work more efficient and of higher quality?" Or, simply: "What are some important guidelines we should all keep in mind as we work together in these meetings?"

 

The discussion prompted by asking for ground rules not only elicits the rules; just as importantly, it allows potentially derailing sensitivities to surface. The facilitator can normalize strongly held values and emotional issues. The participants will feel better about themselves as group members and appreciate a greater sense of safety. Some participants may discount the importance of establishing these guidelines up front. The facilitator must be prepared to assert the value of the discussion and negotiate for the participants' indulgence. If the group has polarized around issues, spending time on establishing ground rules becomes all the more important. Ground rules generally take the form of agreements on certain topics.

 

Typically ground rules center around these issues:

 

• The purpose of the planning meetings (what people expect to have at the end of the series of meetings)
• Significant or ambiguous definitions
• Time lines for meetings length of meetings, when they are held, and for how long
• Meeting leadership and other roles
• Participation and attendance
• How decisions will be made (consensus or voting)
• The value of expressing different perspectives how disagreements should be expressed and handled ("Discuss the un-discussable" or "How to disagree without being disagreeable")
• Communication with those outside the planning process
• The facilitator can offer one or two ground rules to stimulate the participants' discussion. The facilitator can also suggest thinking about ground rules participants have overlooked. Agreement on a specific rule, however, must be made by the participants.