{"id":17709,"date":"2019-02-04T04:18:37","date_gmt":"2019-02-04T08:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/?p=17709"},"modified":"2019-02-19T16:05:58","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T20:05:58","slug":"guiding-discussions-with-protocols-more-effective-meetings-collaboration-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/guiding-discussions-with-protocols-more-effective-meetings-collaboration-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting started with protocols"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Be better at team conversations<\/h1>\n

You know that spirited colleague of yours who dominates, practically filibusters, staff meetings with her lamenting and haranguing?<\/p>\n

Or your colleague who is so thoughtful, but rarely speaks at staff meetings? Or it is you? \u00a0Does your zest and passion bubble forth into conversations leaving little room for all voices? (Confession: that’s me!) Or do you retreat into silence as you watch the volley of conversation flutter around the room waiting for the pause that never comes?<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/NerdyMaestra\/status\/1072900684511670272<\/a><\/p>\n

Whoever you are in a group, it appears that we need a little help bringing all voices into the conversation.<\/b><\/h3>\n

I first made this discovery in (shocker!) my elementary classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all seen it. Whenever I circled up with my students to discuss the learning at hand, it was no surprise that the same five kids would simultaneously burst into conversation, while several others never seemed to get a word in edgewise.<\/span><\/p>\n

So we started paying attention to <\/span>how <\/span><\/i>we had discussions. We talked about reflecting on if we were ‘first talkers’ or ‘not talkers’ or somewhere in between. Then we mapped our conversations, collecting data on who talked, for how long, how often. Finally, we learned about extroverts and introverts, internal and external processors: you know, the difference between those who think to talk and those who talk to think?<\/span><\/p>\n

Then we talked about what we could do about it. \u00a0Everyone agreed that it was important that everyone’s voice was heard. \u00a0So we brainstormed strategies, like the use of a ‘talking piece’ (in our case it was often a ‘talking stapler’) that had to be in your possession before you spoke, or how the extroverts could use our voices to invite others into the conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Collaboration is the key ingredient in most organizations.<\/b><\/h3>\n

It’s the synergy of ideas that brings the magic. Those other voices help us see the same thing in a new way. They bring a suggestion that solves the puzzle.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in order to effectively collaborate, we need everyone’s ideas on the table. We need to hear all voices. And we seem to be operating under the assumption that as adults we do this well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Except we don’t.<\/span><\/p>\n

And I don’t think adults are too keen on using a ‘talking stapler’ to manage their conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Enter: The Discussion Protocol.<\/b><\/h3>\n

What is a discussion protocol, you ask? It’s a conversation guided by a process to a specific outcome. There are directions and steps. There’s a facilitator who moves the conversation along. And there are specific types of feedback called for at different times.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are several organizations out there who create and train folks around how to use protocols. \u00a0I’ve always used the<\/span> School Reform Initiative<\/span><\/a>‘s work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Check out a few examples of protocols:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n