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How To:

MEETINGS

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What We’ll Cover

In This Training :

Group Agreements :

Introductions

Name
City/Town
Pronouns
Finish the sentence: “I’m not ready to deal with people until I’ve had my __________.”

Introductions

Setting an Agenda:

What goes into a good agenda:

Introductions

ACtive Listening Tips

In any meeting, things can get DIFFICULT!

The S.C.A.R.F. Model:

What our brains need when we work together

Here’s one theory, based on brain science by a neurologist named David Rock:

This scientist found that in addition to physical needs (food, water, shelter), all human beings have social needs as well, and when those social needs are threatened, we have an instinctive panic reaction. It literally activates the same part of our brain that panics when our access to food, water, and shelter is threatened.
Recently, organizers have used this model to think about the way people show up to their organizing work. It’s no accident that our core values (like fairness and autonomy) reflect some of these basic needs -- organizers are always trying to bring people together in a way that makes them feel safe.
We know that most of the time, when folks disrupt meetings or events, it’s because they feel (rightly or wrongly) that their basic social needs are being threatened. Going back to our examples of folks behaving badly in meetings, what are some ways we can understand their actions in this framework?

For example, the person who talks over everyone at meetings might come off as arrogant, but sometimes people talk over others out of anxiety that they won’t be heard and won’t have a voice in the process (Autonomy), or that their ideas aren’t important to the group (Status).
People who refuse to talk during meetings might be anxious that if their ideas start conflict, folks might not want them to be part of the group anymore (Relatedness).