Effective Participation in Meetings

1. Effective Participation in Meetings Meaningful Parent Leadership vs. Token Involvement Kathleen Roe Executive Director Parents Anonymous of New Jersey, Inc. panjinfo@paofnj.org

2. Workshop Goals • To identify your style of leadership • To identify the supports needed for meaningful participation • To become familiar with the ladder of meaningful Parent participation • To become aware of the challenges of new leadership • To become aware of the 7 C’s of Communication • To learn strategies of meeting room seating

4. Supports for Family Participation • Tangible (stipends, pay for child care, etc.) • Emotional (respect, understanding, validation, help through transitions/crises) • Environmental (training, full inclusion) • Meetings held at times when parents can attend

5. Shared Leadership • Am I ready? • Are we ready? • Is the community ready? • Will our governmental entities and systems support shared leadership?

6. Making Room for New Leadership • Tendency for “old” leaders to resist new leadership voices • May feel threatened by new voices • May see new voices as competition • May not appreciate the value of what new voices & leaders bring to the conversation

7. The Ladder of Participation • Non Participation • The aim of the process is to “cure”, fix or educate participants by the proposed plan without any input. • www.self-willed-land.org.uk

8. The Ladder of Participation • Degrees of Tokenism 1. Informing – a one way flow of information with no feedback 2. Consultation – includes neighborhood meetings, attitude surveys, focus groups 3. Placation – Loading committees with handpicked people, but participants still have no power.

9. The Ladder of Participation • Degrees of Parent Power 1. Partnership – Power is redistributed between power holders and citizens, planning and decision making is shared. 2. Delegated Power - Parents have a clear majority of seats on committees with delegated powers to make decisions 3. Parent Control - “Have Not’s” handle the entire job of planning, policy making and managing a program including funds.

10. Brainstorm: • Name one experience when you were unprepared • How did it feel? • How did you respond?

11. The 7 C’s of meeting communication • Be CLEAR • Be CONCISE • Be CONCRETE • Be CORRECT • Be COHERENT • Be COMPLETE • Be COURTEOUS

12. The Power Position

13. The Other End 1. Perfect Place to Disagree with the Leader 2. If you are running the meeting, don’t put the chair there! 3. Next most powerful spot in the meeting

14. The Flanking Position • Sitting next to the chair gives you the ear of the chair. • Classically the seat to the right of the chair is the spot for the second in command. • The seat to the left of the chair is for the “up and comer”.

15. The Middle Few • Good Place to sit if you want to observe and size up the group. • This is the seat if you want to be forgotten or overlooked.

16. Circular Tables • Best tables for collaboration • The bigger the table the less collaborative. • To be most effective sit closest to the facilitator.

17. No End Chairs! • How do I gain power without an end chair? • Power Setting switches to the middle of the table. • Weakest position is on the end on the same side as the chair.