I was reading a book about team meetings and in that came up a question about ground rules. I answered the question for myself but I would like to hear a professional opinion. Therefore, my question is: Which two of the following meeting ground rules do you feel are most important. Why?

Ground rules:

- start and end on time
- everyone participates
- one person speak at a time
- stay on schedule
- all ideas are group property
- separate the idea or comment from the person
- decide by consensus

The Team Doc Says…

Good question! They are all very important to have a healthy, functional team meeting. If I had to prioritize them, my top two choices would be:

1. Separate the idea or comment from the person
2. Everyone participates

The power of a team is in its collaborative abilities. It’s critical that each and every member participate to make the most use of the wealth of knowledge and ideas in every team. Plus, since we’re talking people here, it’s easy to overlook an idea or comment from a team member who is not our favorite when that idea may be the best one for the team. It’s not easy to do, but can take a team to the next level of maturity.

Visit Setting Team Ground Rules for more information on what would work best for your team.

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