To help your meeting stay respectful, it is helpful to set expectations at the beginning of a meeting.

As a group, determine what a respectful meeting looks like.  Once everyone agrees with that list, you can use it as a reminder of agreed behavior.

In case you don’t have time to determine expectations, here are a few examples.

To have a respectful meeting, we will:

• Listen attentively
• Respect the opinions of others
• Keep an open mind
• Give constructive comments, suggestions & feedback
• Avoid personal attacks
• Remember the things we have in common
• Value people, the process, and the results

PDF versions to handout at a meeting:

• 7 Keys to a Respectful Meeting – Participant version
• 7 Keys to a Respectful Meeting – Moderator version

For you to consider:

• In what other meetings could you use these expectations?
• Are people in leadership positions being good role models of respectful behavior?
• Are there any additional expectations that would be beneficial for your group to add?