  |
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| IDRC:
Resources: Books:
Catalogue: From
Workplace To Workspace
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| |
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| IDRC:
Resources: Books:
Catalogue: From
Workplace To Workspace
|
Part II: Working Together (concluded)Step-By-Step Guide To Specific ActivitiesYou can use your mailing list for all sorts of work: sharing announcements
about events
Producing Documents TogetherYou can use your mailing list to produce documents together: policy statements, position papers, funding proposals, reports, press releases, submissions to publications or conferences, newsletters, promotional materials, and more. The key steps are to outline the work, delegate responsibility for each piece, check on progress, and pull the pieces together for everyone to see. Be clear with the group about what they're expected to do throughout the process so that they can participate effectively. You'll also need the group to commit to providing timely feedback. As facilitator, your role is to get everyone working together and to keep the process moving forward. Here's how:
Introduce the scope of the writing project and all the relevant details:
context, deadline, audience, goals, size, etc. Ask the group to suggest ideas for document content, and relevant work
that already exists that can be drawn upon. You'll get an idea about who
is interested in doing different sections by the responses. People will
likely also start to discuss priorities for what they think should be included
and what isn't necessary. Identify someone to take the results of step 2 and pull together an
outline of the document, indicating the deadline for feedback. Feedback from step 3 should be incorporated into a final outline which
is then re-posted to the group. Individuals should take responsibility for each section in the outline.
Who and how many are involved depends on the specific task, people's workloads
at the time, and the group's work habits. In some cases it makes sense
for one person to do the bulk of the writing, circulating sections to the
group for feedback. In others, a more efficient approach is to have everyone
do a section, with one person pulling the whole thing together. Using the
list to develop the document means that even those people who can't be
directly involved in the hands-on work, can still see the document's evolution
as drafts get posted. As each section is finished, it should be posted to the group for feedback.
The poster should be clear about the type of feedback needed (e.g., content,
technical accuracy, style, etc.) and when it's needed by. Once all of the sections have been posted, and have been checked over
by the group, the full document can be pulled together and edited (by cutting
and pasting the individual pieces into a single word-processed document).
The full first draft should then be posted to the group for any additional
feedback. Steps 6 and 7 may be repeated a number of times until the document is
ready for a final proofread. Once the final text is assembled, it should be formatted for final production.
You may only need a text version of the document, but it should still be
arranged carefully for easy online reading. If you are doing a more complex
non-text-only layout, be sure to also keep a text-only version of the final
document for quick online reference. For the group's future reference, the final document should be posted to the list with a unique subject line, in both text-only and final formatted versions. This makes it easy for people to find and use again.
Holding Meetings OnlineFacilitation is critical to successful online meetings, as is commitment from those "attending" to participate. There are also a number of steps to follow, which we have divided into two parts: things you need to do before the meeting starts, and those you do while the meeting is running.Pre-Meeting Preparation
It's best to set up a separate list for meetings only, so you can focus
exclusively on the meeting agenda and keep all the relevant information
in one place. Schedule a time for the meeting with the group. The amount of time needed
depends on the complexity of the agenda topics and the number of people
participating. You need enough time for participants to be able to sufficiently
digest and respond to the discussion. One to two weeks is a reasonable
time frame -- any longer and you'll lose momentum; any shorter and participants
will feel rushed. Note: You'll need to leave extra time for non-Internet
connected networks to receive and send messages. Often there are delays
when working with networks in the South. Attentive facilitation and chairing is critical to successful online meetings. You can rotate the facilitator role with each meeting, identify a particular facilitator just for meet ings or use the same person(s) you use for all your online facilitation. You may also identify people to chair particular topics within the agenda.
Participants need to know what the meeting priorities are in advance
of the actual meeting. With the input of the group, the facilitator should
draft and circulate the meeting agenda. The final version of the agenda
should be posted at the start of the meeting, for reference. The group needs to agree on a way to make decisions online. For example,
some groups will finish a discussion, summarize it and then hold a vote
where silence signals agreement with the majority. You'll need to find
a method that best suits the operating principles of your group. Sometimes
the group won't be able to conclude discussion on a topic. These items
can be moved forward to the next meeting, pending more information, or
tabled till the next face-to-face meeting for more in-depth handling. As the start date of the meeting gets closer, circulate a reminder message to all participants by email. You should also remind people of their meeting responsibilities: sign-in, daily check-in, posting reports, participating in discussion, voting, etc. Running the Meeting
The facilitator should post a "Start of Meeting" topic that includes a request for sign-in. It's important to get as many people to the meeting as quickly as possible,
so you can maximize the use of the time you have together. Track down anyone
who hasn't signed in within a couple of days. Post the initial topics at the start of the meeting, e.g., Financial
Report, Announcements, Member Updates, etc., as well as clearly labeled
topics that correspond to each item in the agenda. The facilitator, or
the chair of each issue, can also open the discussion on each of these
items. To help everyone work through the agenda, the facilitator should periodically
synthesize discussion on each topic and present the options that have emerged,
for further discussion or for decision. Midway through the meeting, summarize the work completed to that point,
and indicate any items still to be addressed. This will focus participants
on the meeting priorities. It's also a good opportunity to remind everyone
how much time is left in the meeting, and to encourage participation. Prompt people (especially those who aren't actively participating) by
email throughout the meeting to ensure discussion on all topics is advanced. Notify everyone that the meeting will soon be coming to a close, and
highlight items still needing attention. At this point you can check in
to see if the group wants to extend the meeting time to address particular
issues. On the specified date, declare the meeting closed. Present what will
happen with unresolved items, e.g., if they're being postponed till the
next meeting, being further developed by those interested in doing so,
etc. After the meeting has ended, the facilitator should post a summary: final decisions, unresolved discussions, and any other important information. The summary serves as a condensed record of the meeting, as well as a way for participants to verify the decisions. Introductory message: ** Topic: START OF SEPTEMBER 1997 MEETING ** This marks the start of the September 1997 online meeting. Please sign in and let us all know you're here. The meeting is scheduled to go to September 18. Please follow this meeting closely these next 2 weeks as we want to make sure it is thoroughly completed. Just so people remember, the policy for online meetings is that all board members are expected to participate. If for some reason someone cannot participate, please designate another person from your organization to participate and vote in your place. Other staff are welcome to follow the meeting, and to post information if needed. Here is a sample meeting agenda. Note how the facilitator has indicated the action items each participant needs to take: -- Agenda - September 1997 Online
Meeting --
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Possible opportunity for free services from a corporate sponsor in "Corporate Sponsor" topic.
---- (background information is posted for each vote topic)
A common and effective use of mailing lists is to plan face-to-face conferences.
If the conference you are planning is fairly large, and public, you will
probably need a few lists to meet all your needs.
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