General Meeting Structure

Meeting Length & Frequency:
General meetings are to last no longer than two hours and occur at least once every two weeks, unless decided otherwise by consensus of the group.


Starting the Meeting:
Members are expected to arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled meeting time in order to socialize and to make certain all members are present and ready to begin precisely on time.

There will be a period of silence or other warm up activity, as chosen by the facilitator, at the beginning of the meeting in order to focus members' attention on the issues at hand.

Flow of the Meeting:
The final order and timing of the agenda will be established at the beginning of the meeting. A proposal ready for final consensus consideration shall be placed early on the agenda. If a member wishes to place a new item on the agenda, that member shall ask for that item's inclusion on either the current or following meeting.

The facilitator will direct the flow of the meeting by recognizing members who wish to speak and by keeping discussion on track. Members shall speak only recognized, and shall be allowed to speak without interruption until finished. Color-coded cards may be use to facilitate discussion. (See PART II, DECISION MAKING, Section B.7) Members are encouraged to express their opinions, especially if they are divergent from a perceived majority view. Effective decisions grow from a diversity of opinion. Members are encouraged to not repeat previously expressed opinions; but rather to briefly express agreement.

The meeting shall have a timekeeper who keeps track of allotted times for agenda items and a vibes watcher who watches for signs of discomfort thru verbal or body language cures, who makes sure the process is kept civil, calls for cooling off time outs when necessary, or suggests the need for an emotional clearing exercise.


Required Break:
A break will be noted on the agenda at approximately the midpoint of the meeting, at a reasonable stopping point. At that time, any member may suggest a break if the facilitator fails to call for it. Breaks shall last no longer than five minutes, at which time the meeting should resume promptly.

Ending the Meeting:Approximately the last 10 minutes of the meeting will be reserved for the reviewing the effectiveness of the meeting, setting the agenda, time and place for the next meeting, reviewing tasks and assignments, and conducting a closure activity.