Send minutes from the previous meeting with the agenda. Ensure that meeting minutes capture action-oriented Making meeting outcomes information. productive Follow up on action points before the next meeting. Respectfully follow up on agency commitments that have not been fulfilled as agreed. Remain professional and do not take comments personally. Ensure that you are taking care of yourself physically so that you Remaining patient and are prepared to facilitate the meeting. keeping focused Limit discussion to those items on the agenda, and allow for further discussion through working and sub-groups, or through other forums. Incorporate Nutrition Cluster coordination costs within pooled Funding meetings and funding appeals. attendance Develop a clear policy on attendance costs, e.g. no per diems or payments for attendance. Following up on a coordination meeting There are also key areas for follow-up after a coordination meeting, including preparation and dissemination of the minutes, and taking the follow-up action agreed upon. A checklist can be found in Annex 3. Feedback from partners is an important tool for improving and supporting the function of the Nutrition Cluster. It can be shared through formal as well as informal mechanisms, and provides an opportunity to learn. It is very difficult to understand people’s impressions and thoughts without asking for feedback. When giving feedback When receiving feedback Give both positive and constructive Listen, and ask questions to clarify. feedback (“One thing you might want to Ask for a specific example or incident to do is...”). illustrate general feedback. Be precise – illustrate with an example Do not become defensive or feel that you (“For example, when...”). have to have a specific response at that Allow time for the person receiving time. feedback to respond if they would like to. Thank the person for the feedback and Don’t argue, but listen to the response. then choose the best way forward. 2.3 Coordination skills 2.3.1 Building consensus Consensus involves aiming for the maximum level of agreement among people while drawing on as much and as many of everyone’s ideas as possible. Consensus should be aimed for when high-quality input and commitment with follow-through are desired from a group. It is a process for encouraging participation and ownership, and can lead to groups creating innovative solutions to complex problems. However, it is time-consuming, requires a high degree of input and commitment and can lead to conflict if no consensus is reached. A key coordination skill is assessing when it is important and appropriate to build consensus around a decision.
Making meeting outcomes productive Send minutes from the previous meeting with the agenda. Ensure that meeting minutes capture action-oriented information. Follow up on action points before the next meeting. Respectfully follow up on agency commitments that have not been fulfilled as agreed. Remaining patient and keeping focused Remain professional and do not take comments personally. Ensure that you are taking care of yourself physically so that you are prepared to facilitate the meeting. Limit discussion to those items on the agenda, and allow for further discussion through working and sub-groups, or through other forums. Funding meetings and attendance Incorporate Nutrition Cluster coordination costs within pooled funding appeals. Develop a clear policy on attendance costs, e.g. no per diems or payments for attendance. Following up on a coordination meeting There are also key areas for follow-up after a coordination meeting, including preparation and dissemination of the minutes, and taking the follow-up action agreed upon. A checklist can be found in Annex 3. Feedback from partners is an important tool for improving and supporting the function of the Nutrition Cluster. It can be shared through formal as well as informal mechanisms, and provides an opportunity to learn. It is very difficult to understand people’s impressions and thoughts without asking for feedback. When giving feedback When receiving feedback Give both positive and constructive feedback (“One thing you might want to do is...”). Be precise – illustrate with an example (“For example, when...”). Allow time for the person receiving feedback to respond if they would like to. Don’t argue, but listen to the response. Listen, and ask questions to clarify. Ask for a specific example or incident to illustrate general feedback. Do not become defensive or feel that you have to have a specific response at that time. Thank the person for the feedback and then choose the best way forward. 2.3 Coordination skills 2.3.1 Building consensus Consensus involves aiming for the maximum level of agreement among people while drawing on as much and as many of everyone’s ideas as possible. Consensus should be aimed for when high-quality input and commitment with follow-through are desired from a group. It is a process for encouraging participation and ownership, and can lead to groups creating innovative solutions to complex problems. However, it is time-consuming, requires a high degree of input and commitment and can lead to conflict if no consensus is reached. A key coordination skill is assessing when it is important and appropriate to build consensus around a decision.
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