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Top 10 Team Rules Of Engagement PowerPoint Presentation Templates in 2024

Establishing clear team rules of engagement is essential for fostering a collaborative and productive work environment. A well-structured PowerPoint presentation can serve as an effective platform to communicate these rules to team members, ensuring everyone is on the same page. In this context, the PPT can outline expectations regarding communication styles, decision-making processes, and conflict resolution strategies. By visually presenting these guidelines, teams can better understand their roles and responsibilities, leading to improved cooperation.Use cases for a Team Rules of Engagement PPT include onboarding new team members, facilitating team-building workshops, and conducting regular team meetings. For onboarding, the presentation can introduce new hires to the team's culture and operational norms, helping them integrate smoothly. During team-building sessions, the PPT can be used to encourage open discussions about engagement rules, allowing team members to contribute their insights and suggestions. Additionally, in regular meetings, revisiting these rules can reinforce accountability and commitment, ensuring that team dynamics remain positive and productive. Ultimately, a well-crafted PowerPoint presentation on team rules of engagement not only clarifies expectations but also promotes a sense of belonging and teamwork, driving overall success.

Employees Rules And Regulations Security Guard Service Company Profile

This slide highlights the security guard company rules and regulations which showcases In and out time, note visitor name, and wear uniform at working hours. Increase audience engagement and knowledge by dispensing information using Employees Rules And Regulations Security Guard Service Company Profile. This template helps you present information on seven stages. You can also present information on Security Officer, Employees using this PPT design. This layout is completely editable so personaize it now to meet your audiences expectations.

This slide highlights the security guard company rules and regulations which showcases In and out time, note visitor name, and wear uniform at working hours.

• Security Officer

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Several rules of employee engagement

Presenting this set of slides with name Several Rules Of Employee Engagement. This is a five stage process. The stages in this process are Listen Feedback From Employees, Communicating Purpose Of Job, Professional Development Internal Training Sessions. This is a completely editable PowerPoint presentation and is available for immediate download. Download now and impress your audience.

Our Several Rules Of Employee Engagement are explicit and effective. They combine clarity and concise expression.

• Communicating Purpose
• Professional Development
• Internal Training Sessions
• Share Information
• decision making

Employee engagement book of rules

Presenting this set of slides with name Employee Engagement Book Of Rules. This is a three stage process. The stages in this process are Employee Engagement Book Of Rules. This is a completely editable PowerPoint presentation and is available for immediate download. Download now and impress your audience.

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• Employee Engagement Book Of Rules

Rules of employee engagement in organization

Presenting this set of slides with name Rules Of Employee Engagement In Organization. This is a five stage process. The stages in this process are Share Information Involve Employee In Decision Making, Listen Feedback From Employees, Communicating Purpose Of Job. This is a completely editable PowerPoint presentation and is available for immediate download. Download now and impress your audience.

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• Internal Training

Employee engagement statistics powerpoint slide rules

Presenting our employee engagement statistics PowerPoint slide rules. This PPT slide offers you plenty of space to put in titles and subtitles. High resolution based presentation layout, does not change the image even after resizing. This presentation icon is data driven and template can be downloaded via excel file to incorporate data. Quick downloading speed and simple editing options in color text and fonts.PPT icons can easily be changed into JPEG and PDF applications.

Show your learning’s about employee engagement statistics with our employee engagement statistics PowerPoint slide rules. This presentation slide of staff engagement research has been created by our team to keep you updated of latest market trends. Use this employee recognition presentation slide to enrich the work experience for employees and help them see the significance of their contributions. Use this histogram based template of employee satisfaction show various element of an organization by which they can engage employees such as offering them flexible work options, motivating employees, and by creating employee engagement programs. This slide allows you to show employees satisfaction with data driven approach as engaged employees show up every day with passion, they show lower absenteeism, higher profitability, and better customer ratings. Use this slide of team engagement to show an environment where you create a space for open communication and encourage creativity for new ideas. Download our PPT layout drivers of engagement to provide valuable insights and suggestions on the ways to improve productivity. Elaborate on the cause of injustice with our Employee Engagement Statistics Powerpoint Slide Rules. Expose the inherent bias in a decision.

• human resource management
• Organizational Behaviour
• Employee Relations
• Employee engagement

Staff engagement activities ppt powerpoint presentation professional rules cpb

Presenting this set of slides with name Staff Engagement Activities Ppt Powerpoint Presentation Professional Rules Cpb. This is an editable Powerpoint three stages graphic that deals with topics like Staff Engagement Activities to help convey your message better graphically. This product is a premium product available for immediate download and is 100 percent editable in Powerpoint. Download this now and use it in your presentations to impress your audience.

Our Staff Engagement Activities Ppt Powerpoint Presentation Professional Rules Cpb are explicit and effective. They combine clarity and concise expression.

• Staff Engagement Activities

Benchmarks employee email engagement ppt powerpoint presentation rules cpb

Presenting this set of slides with name Benchmarks Employee Email Engagement Ppt Powerpoint Presentation Rules Cpb. This is an editable Powerpoint five stages graphic that deals with topics like Benchmarks Employee Email Engagement to help convey your message better graphically. This product is a premium product available for immediate download and is 100 percent editable in Powerpoint. Download this now and use it in your presentations to impress your audience.

Our Benchmarks Employee Email Engagement Ppt Powerpoint Presentation Rules Cpb are topically designed to provide an attractive backdrop to any subject. Use them to look like a presentation pro.

• Benchmarks Employee Email Engagement

Process employee engagement ppt powerpoint presentation ideas rules cpb

Presenting Process Employee Engagement Ppt Powerpoint Presentation Ideas Rules Cpb slide which is completely adaptable. The graphics in this PowerPoint slide showcase three stages that will help you succinctly convey the information. In addition, you can alternate the color, font size, font type, and shapes of this PPT layout according to your content. This PPT presentation can be accessed with Google Slides and is available in both standard screen and widescreen aspect ratios. It is also a useful set to elucidate topics like Process Employee Engagement. This well-structured design can be downloaded in different formats like PDF, JPG, and PNG. So, without any delay, click on the download button now.

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• Process Employee Engagement

Impact of employee recognition program engagement ppt powerpoint presentation slides rules

The purpose of this slide is to provide a glimpse of the impact of the employee recognition program which is beneficial for both employers and the employees. Presenting this set of slides with name Impact Of Employee Recognition Program Engagement Ppt Powerpoint Presentation Slides Rules. This is a six stage process. The stages in this process are Impact Employee, Recognition Program, Engagement. This is a completely editable PowerPoint presentation and is available for immediate download. Download now and impress your audience.

The purpose of this slide is to provide a glimpse of the impact of the employee recognition program which is beneficial for both employers and the employees.

• Impact Employee
• Recognition Program

Our Experienced Management Team Interior Decoration Company Profile Ppt Rules

This slide focuses on management team of interior design company which includes chief executive officer, creative director senior designer and marketing executive. It also provides information about their experience, specialization, etc. Increase audience engagement and knowledge by dispensing information using Our Experienced Management Team Interior Decoration Company Profile Ppt Rules. This template helps you present information on four stages. You can also present information on Chief Executive Officer, Creative Director, Senior Marketing Executive using this PPT design. This layout is completely editable so personaize it now to meet your audiences expectations.

This slide focuses on management team of interior design company which includes chief executive officer, creative director senior designer and marketing executive. It also provides information about their experience, specialization, etc

• Chief Executive Officer
• Creative Director
• Senior Marketing Executive

Engagement Model

What do you think of this template.

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An engagement model is a set of guidelines that defines the relationship between the client and the development team. It includes the responsibilities, obligation, commitment, rules, tasks, and duration of the engagement. All of these are written down in a legally binding contract signed by both parties.

The engagement model sets the foundation for collaboration between businesses and software development vendors. The chosen engagement model will help the parties determine the team setup, governance, daily workflow, responsibilities, pricing & payment model and more. Hence, the engagement model will directly impact the outcome of the engagement and the vendor relationship.

With outsourcing, you skip the long and time-consuming process of recruiting, onboarding, and training new team members, and you go straight to working with an already-formed team of proven professionals. While you do need those specialists for the development of the project, you probably don’t need them indefinitely, so outsourcing allows you to be flexible and scale up and down according to business needs, without the commitment of hiring a permanent in-office team.

Choosing the wrong engagement model for your project can lead to many undesirable outcomes, such as dissatisfaction with the final product, friction between you and your supplier, and, yes, loss of profit. 

The fixed price engagement model is the classic approach in software development. It is exactly what it says on the tin — you get a fixed price and you do not pay any more than that.

In order to be able to get a fixed price, however, you need to know everything about your product in advance, and you need to be able to communicate that to your vendor in abundant clarity and detail.

The time and materials model means that you, as a client, are engaged with the project on a regular basis. You decide which of its features are of the highest priority, and they get developed iteratively — with you getting a functioning product at the end of each iteration.

The big benefit for you is that you can make changes to the requirements much more readily than with the fixed price model, and you only pay for the time the development team spends actually working on your product.

The slides of this template can be used by IT companies when discussing terms of work with a client. You can describe the main stages of software product development and choose the most suitable model.

Also, this template can be used by university teachers when preparing courses on project management. Project managers can use the slides in this template when they approve milestones with team members. Software startup executives can use the slides from this template when preparing a company’s business processes.

Engagement Model is a professional and modern template that contains four stylish and fully editable slides. If necessary, you can change all the elements of the slide in accordance with your corporate requirements. This template will be useful for startups, company executives, business coaches. Engagement Model template will organically complement your presentations and will be a great addition to your collection of professional presentations.

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Home Blog Presentation Ideas The Power of Audience Engagement: Strategies and Examples

The Power of Audience Engagement: Strategies and Examples

Engaging your audience is vital to effective presentations, business interactions, and media communication. It’s a powerful tool that fosters connection, enhances knowledge retention, and drives action. Research conducted on audience engagement informs us that physiological factors like cardiac synchrony can be appreciated when the spectators feel a deep emotional connection to the event they are attending. 

This article explores the importance of audience engagement in presentations, offering practical strategies, rules, and tools to captivate your audience with real-life examples and methods to measure engagement. 

Table of Contents

What is Audience Engagement?

Strategies for audience engagement in presentations, rules of audience engagement, real-life examples of audience engagement, tools for boosting audience engagement in presentations.

We can define audience engagement as the degree of interaction and involvement of individuals in a particular activity or event. It’s not merely about having an audience but cultivating a dynamic relationship with them. This engagement is gauged by the level of attention, interest, and emotional connection an audience has towards the content they are consuming. 

Audience engagement is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It varies based on the nature of the audience, the platform used, and the goals of the engagement. However, at its core, it’s about creating a two-way communication that values the audience’s input and encourages them to interact, participate, and connect – a point of particular interest in motivational presentations. This engagement is beneficial and essential in today’s digital age, where attention is scarce . A high level of audience engagement signifies that your message resonates with your audience and that they are invested in your content or cause.

The Role of Audience Engagement in Business, Education, and Social Media

Audience engagement is pivotal in various sectors, including business, education, and social media. For business professionals, it translates as the cornerstone of customer relationship management. Engaging customers is not just about making sales; it’s about building relationships, cultivating loyalty, and creating brand advocates. Businesses prioritizing audience engagement tailoring their advertising efforts to attend to the customer’s driving factors , often enjoy increased customer retention rates and higher profits. 

Engaging the audience in business environments also involves high-level meetings between organizations and potential investors, as the closer the speaker connects with the audience, the better impact tools like a business pitch may have. 

Moving on to academics, educators strive to captivate their students’ attention, stimulate their curiosity, and encourage active participation in the learning process. Engaging students leads to improved comprehension , better retention of information, and a more enjoyable learning experience. It’s not just about imparting knowledge; it’s about inspiring a love for learning and nurturing critical thinking skills.

We can guarantee that audience engagement is the key to visibility and influence on social media platforms, as experience does tell. The algorithms of most social media platforms prioritize content with high engagement rates, making it more likely to appear in users’ feeds. Therefore, influencers, brands, and individuals wishing to maximize their reach must create content encouraging likes, comments, shares, and other forms of engagement. 

First Impressions and Relevance

The relevance of your content to your audience’s interests or needs determines their level of engagement. To achieve this, understand your audience’s demographics and preferences, then tailor your content to match these. This strategy not only grabs attention but also fosters a lasting connection.

Presenters should research techniques for how to start a presentation to ensure a great first impression with the audience. Our expertise tells us that over 60% of the success rate of the presentation is granted during that first introductory minute, so don’t neglect the first opportunity to connect with your attendees.

Utilizing Practical Information

To engage your audience effectively, provide practical, actionable information. This boosts your credibility and empowers your audience, making them more likely to interact and relate with your content. Remember, the more value you offer, the greater the engagement rate you’ll receive.

Applying Tools to Raise the Impact of Your Speech

To amplify your speech’s impact, leverage tools like visual aids, storytelling , and rhetorical devices. Visual aids such as infographics can simplify complex ideas , while storytelling can evoke emotions and make your message more memorable. Rhetorical devices like repetition can emphasize key points, ensuring they resonate with your audience.

The Power of a Familiar Environment

To enhance presentation performance, create a familiar environment. Use common language, relatable examples, and shared experiences to establish comfort. This strategy nourishes connection, encourages participation, and promotes audience engagement, thereby boosting the impact of your presentation.

Understanding Audience Needs

There are techniques you can apply prior to your presentation to ensure your content is tailored for the target audience. Conduct demographic research to understand their age, gender, occupation, and interests. Next, engage with them through surveys (via email if they signed up for the event online) or social media to grasp their desires and pain points. 

Analyzing their behavior, such as purchasing habits, can also provide valuable information. Consider their cultural and social context to understand their perspectives. Remember always to be open to feedback: this will not only show your audience that you value their opinion but also help you tailor your approach to meet their needs.

Maintaining Authenticity and Consistency

Presenters are often blamed for trying to emulate successful examples rather than using their own voices. First, be genuine. Authenticity resonates with audiences, making your message more compelling. Avoid pretense and remain true to your character, values, and beliefs. Second, maintain consistency. Your message should be coherent and consistent throughout. This includes your speech, visuals, and body language (and yes, this can be pretty evident in your interest in the topic you present). Inconsistencies can confuse your audience and weaken your message. 

Consistency also extends to your brand or personal image. Ensure that your presentation aligns with your established image. This will reinforce your credibility and build trust with your audience. Lastly, practice regularly to maintain a consistent pace and tone. This will help you avoid sudden changes in speech that can disrupt the flow of your presentation.

A compelling example of audience engagement in the IT sector is the transformation of Microsoft under the leadership of Satya Nadella . Before Nadella’s tenure, Microsoft was losing its grip on the market, with dwindling audience engagement. The company was perceived as outdated and unresponsive to customer needs. However, Nadella implemented strategies to reinvigorate the brand and boost audience engagement. He prioritized open communication, encouraging employees to listen to customer feedback and respond promptly. He also championed using social media platforms to interact with customers, providing quick solutions to their problems. This strategy increased audience engagement and improved the company’s reputation. 

The impact of these strategies was measured using social media traffic and lead generation results. Microsoft saw a significant increase in followers on their social media platforms, and the lead generation rate also improved. The positive customer feedback and the measurable results motivated the team to continue pursuing excellence. They realized that their efforts were not in vain and that they were making a difference in the company’s performance. This example reveals the power of audience engagement in transforming a brand’s performance. It also highlights the importance of measuring results to motivate the team and ensure the effectiveness of the strategies implemented.

PowerPoint Presentation Templates by SlideModel

SlideModel PowerPoint and Google Slides templates are a game-changer for presenters, offering a comprehensive solution to design dilemmas. These templates simplify the process of creating visually appealing presentations, allowing presenters to focus on delivering their message effectively. The beauty of these templates lies in their complete editability. Presenters can customize each element to suit their unique needs, ensuring their presentation aligns with their brand and message. Moreover, SlideModel offers a vast selection of templates designed to cater to various business tools. Below you can find some examples of what these templates can do for you.

1. 5W1H Framework PowerPoint Diagram for Collective Thinking Audience Engagement

This framework counting with 5 why(s) and 1 how question is ideal to encourage team members to look for solutions as a group, as it requires a deep understanding of the causes behind a problem, plus an iterative technique of cause-and-effect analysis to reach for an answer.

Use This Template

2. Evaluation Scale of 1 to 10 Graphic for Engaged Presentations

We can imagine meetings where we need to evaluate the conditions created after the impact of some of our choices. This scale of 1 to 10 PPT template helps teams to give a visible score and give the reasons behind their scoring to address the importance of certain topics. Ideal for in-team meetings where we have to determine the priorities for future work sessions.

3. Pros & Cons PowerPoint Template for Activities to Engage the Audience

Present the pros and cons of situations in a format filled with visual aids. By implementing the weighting scale metaphor, the audience can quickly understand why some decisions may have a bigger impact than others, or in case of products, why certain choices shape out the market performance of a product or service.

4. Team Introduction Template to Engage Listeners

Who said that team presentation should be a boring part of the event? By using this striking colored presentation template for PowerPoint and Google Slides, each team member can introduce themselves in a blast, offering a clearer picture of their capabilities for the role they perform. Additionally, presenters can explain the relationships on a hierarchical level of each team member, how they contribute to the project, etc.

5. Customer Journey Storytelling Template for Audience Engagement

Take the typical approach to customer journey analysis and convert it into an engaging storytelling experience with this Mountain Customer Journey PowerPoint Diagram. It allows us to evaluate the progress, challenges, and changes to implement by taking the ideal customer persona or real-life data and evaluate in monthly periods.

Whether you’re presenting a SWOT analysis , a business plan , or a marketing strategy , there’s a template tailored to your needs. This variety enables presenters to choose a design that resonates with their topic, enhancing audience engagement. In a nutshell, SlideModel’s PowerPoint and Google Slides templates are indispensable tools for presenters, allowing presenters to use powerful graphics without requiring knowledge of graphic design.

The Power of Storytelling

Storytelling is a potent tool for audience engagement. It captivates listeners, stimulates their imagination, and fosters an emotional connection. By weaving a compelling narrative, you can effectively convey your message and make it memorable. Stories resonate with people personally, making them more receptive to your ideas. They also encourage active participation, as audiences often see themselves in the narratives, leading to a deeper understanding of your message. Whether you’re presenting a business proposal or educating a class, harness the power of storytelling to captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression.

Open-ended Questions

Open-ended questions stimulate thought, spark conversation, and encourage active participation. Unlike closed-ended questions, which limit responses to specific options, open-ended questions invite a wide range of answers, allowing audiences to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas freely. This fosters a deeper connection and provides valuable insights into your audience’s perspectives, needs, and preferences. Whether you deliver a business presentation, teach a class, or host a live social media session, incorporating open-ended questions can significantly enhance your audience engagement strategy.

Polls and Surveys

These tools provide a platform for your audience to express their opinions, cultivating a sense of involvement and importance. They also offer valuable insights into your audience’s preferences, enabling you to tailor your content to their interests. 

Real-time poll results can create a dynamic, interactive experience, keeping your audience engaged and eager for more. Remember, the key to successful audience engagement is making your audience feel heard and valued; polls and surveys are excellent tools.

Group Activities 

Group activities promote collaboration and stimulate critical thinking. You can facilitate in-depth discussions, problem-solving tasks, or brainstorming sessions by dividing your audience into smaller groups. This not only keeps your audience actively involved but also encourages them to share their ideas and perspectives. 

Furthermore, group activities can be designed to be entertaining, adding an element of enjoyment to the engagement process. Remember, an engaged audience is more likely to absorb and retain the information you present, making your event or presentation a resounding success.

Wrapping up, the power to captivate your audience lies in your hands. The techniques shared in this article are not just theories but practical strategies proven to boost audience engagement. From understanding your audience’s needs to maintaining authenticity, the impact of these strategies is undeniable. So, don’t just read and forget. Take action. Implement these strategies in your next presentation or event. Remember, the more engaged your audience, the more successful your message delivery. So, get started today and see the transformation in the lasting impact of your talk.

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Presentation Must-Haves: Rules of Engagement

Engaging an audience is one of the most important aspects of being a successful presenter. When an audience is tuned in to what you are saying and what you are presenting, they’ll retain much more after the presentation has concluded. So, how do you get an audience locked into your presentation? Let’s look some rules of engagement and presentation must-haves.

Data Visualization

When presenting a large chunk of data, you are best served creating a visualization rather than just bullet points and text. Data visualization , simply put, is the process of organizing numbers and data into visuals that quickly convey the information. It should simplify the information and make it easy to understand. Use it whenever possible to make your points clear and visual.

Graphs as Infographics

Graphs are a critical part of most presentations. You’ll need to use them to show a variety of trends. However, that doesn’t mean they have to be cookie cutter. There are many ways to spruce up graphs that turn them from ordinary to extraordinary. Instead of using that simple bar graph, use icons or illustrations to represent your data. Check out some more fun graph ideas here .

Purposeful Typography & Layout

Typography is about more than just font choice—although font choice and pairing are important as well. Good typography creates order using visual hierarchies, which helps your viewers know what to look at first, second, third, etc. The way in which you display text influences how readable it is and how important it is.

The standard hierarchy for most western societies is top to bottom, left to right. Then, and this goes for everyone, you have a slew of other hierarchies. To name a few: big/small, bold/thin, high contrast/low contrast (think bright vs subdued).

Use columns instead of your normal, boring straight-down list. And ditch the bullets. Take a look at figures 1.2 and 1.3. Notice how much more professional figure 1.2 looks? That’s because we are using both top to bottom and left to right hierarchies to very clearly differentiate the key points. We also got rid of the bullets.

Stick with Short and Simple

Even if you are presenting a very complex subject with lots of data, you still have the ability to simplify it with good editing and minimal text. Keep a structure to your presentation making sure it has a beginning, middle, and end. Set up your main points in your introduction. In the middle, insert supporting points to backup your main points. Then end with a compelling closing that cements your points and leaves the audience with an action to take.

Engage with Relatable Content

Sometimes, you’ll lose your audience with lots of numbers, graphs, and abstract ideas. Get them back on point by telling anecdotes that draw comparisons. This will simplify your ideas for them. By making things sound simple, your audience can digest your ideas more easily, and draw connections between your message and their own goals, struggles, etc.

Engaging your audience is the most important part of presenting. An audience that cares about what you’re saying and showing is one that responds. To get there, you’ll need a presentation that is built to engage. That’s not always an easy task. It’s easier when you partner with a presentation agency whose only focus is on creating appealing presentations. Choose KO/AD to be your presentation specialists. Learn about what we offer today .

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Using Ground Rules to Improve Engagement and Run Excellent Team Meetings

You get what you tolerate.

I’ve heard this adage many times when complaining about my dog’s behavior, and occasionally regarding my children too. The person sharing that wisdom is telling me that my dog’s and my children’s poor behavior persists because I allow it to; because I’m creating the conditions where that kind of thing can occur not just once, but repeatedly.

Recently we hosted a webinar on how to increase engagement during team meetings , and we asked people who registered about the number one meeting engagement problem they hoped we could help solve.

Several registrants asked about how to deal with the person who won’t stop talking,  making it hard for anyone else to get a word in. Several others asked about how to get people to show up on time , or even to show up at all.

I shared some specific techniques for helping with these situations in the webinar, but as more and more of these replies kept coming in, I couldn’t help but hear that adage echo in the back of my head.

While I believe that’s true to a degree, I never found it particularly useful!

I didn’t appreciate it when people told me to just “stop tolerating” undesirable behavior from my kids and my dog. I wanted advice that went beyond “Well, don’t let them do that!” I gritted my teeth, rolled my eyes, and admitted that yes, sure, I’m tolerating this behavior I guess – but what else am I supposed to do?!

That’s the challenge faced by many meeting leaders when it comes to the long-winded participant. How exactly are you supposed to “not tolerate it” when that one person—let’s call him Fred—decides to keep talking about his pet project? Do you just cut him off? Do you kick him out? Do you follow the lead of our U.S. Senators and hurl a talking stick at him ?

Not likely.

You can do a lot with how you structure and lead your meeting to minimize this problem. The facilitation literature includes all kinds of tips specifically for this issue.

For most people, though, redesigning every meeting just to work around Fred isn’t realistic.

Instead, I recommend considering a more direct approach by creating team ground rules for your meetings .

Ground rules give everyone a chance to manage Fred-including Fred! When you work with your team to establish an expectation that everyone in meetings will keep their comments brief and relevant, you can all hold each other to it.

Ground rules give you a tool you can use when someone goes too long. This means the burden and the power to manage the conversation falls not just on the meeting leader – ground rules give everyone on the team a tool they can use!

It’s important to remember that the people who take more than their fair share of meeting time may not realize the impact they have on others. They may feel that no one else wants to speak, and it’s up to them to carry the conversation. This is certainly what happens with me and my middle child. He’s at that age where he doesn’t talk to his parents much, so I find myself just jabbering on to fill the vacuum.

Over-talkers may not be able to sense social queues well. I know several people who will admit they can’t “read” other people, and they actually appreciate a bit of subtle coaching to help them avoid unintentionally upsetting others.

Finally, they may be waiting for someone else to acknowledge them, and will just keep talking until someone does. This can happen a lot when people are nervous or worked up – they keep talking until someone assures them that they’ve been heard.

Another possibility: they could be the type that thinks out loud, getting carried away in their own verbal thought process without really noticing the minutes ticking by. This is my particular foible; it’s taken me a lot of years to clue in to my husband’s impatient toe tapping as he waits for me to get to the point!

Or finally, it’s possible they could be jerks who like to dominate everyone else with their inane babble! On balance, though, this last option isn’t the most likely.

Whatever the reason, when you set a clear expectation about the kind of behavior the group wants in meetings, you can talk openly about that behavior in the group. In other words, when you start talking about what you want, it becomes easier for everyone to talk about what they want. If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of suggesting ground rules to your team, please consider how obvious that last sentence is.

Then once you have ground rules, if someone violates those expectations and you all do nothing about it – well, I’ve heard it said: you get what you tolerate .

Let’s explore what ground rules are and how to put them in place for your team.

Tool: Ground Rules

Ground rules detail the code of conduct for a meeting and the team, explaining the behavior that’s expected of all participants. Team ground rules should be created and agreed to by everyone in the team together, because groups more easily accept and abide by rules they’ve set themselves.

Another adage my wise advisors tell me: If you think you have an agreement and the other person doesn’t stick to it, then you didn’t have an agreement, did you?

It’s very common for workshop facilitators to establish ground rules at the beginning of the workshop. What’s less common—but which has a higher positive impact over time—is the establishment of ground rules at the team, department, or organization level.

A Ground Rule by any other name may possibly smell less

Some people bristle at the idea of setting “Ground Rules” because it sounds too restrictive and punitive. If the idea of working with your team to set “Rules” rubs you the wrong way, consider these alternatives:

• Meeting Code (as in Code of Conduct, or Pirates’ Code)
• Meeting Manifesto (akin to the Agile Manifesto, outlining shared principles)
• Meeting Guidelines or Protocols or… you get the idea.

The other common name for Ground Rules is Team Norms (meaning “adopted standards”). If that works for you, go for it. One caution, though: people may use the term norm interchangeably to refer to your written “Norms” and also to any normal-but-undesirable behavior in the group, as in “Sally’s 6 minute’s late, as per norm,” which can weaken these agreements over time.

While the ground rules you use should be developed collaboratively with your team, it’s always helpful to start with some examples. Here are some sample ground rules that we’ve used to reinforce those behaviors the research indicates contribute most directly to meeting quality. You can find many other examples online and linked in the resources below.

A few of these directly enable teams to manage the person who hogs the time. I’ve made these bold.

Sample Ground Rules for a Team, Department, or Organization

Again, these are examples only.

Don’t think some of these would fly with your group? Dislike the wording?

Please please please! Do what works for you!

That is, in fact, the whole point of the exercise.

Example Ground Rules

Respect our commitment to making meetings enjoyable and productive..

• We adopt these ground rules as our shared commitment to doing great work in meetings. These are our rules; we can and will change the rules together if we feel there is a better way.
• Everyone is responsible for enforcing the ground rules. Notice when we have strayed, and speak up. (This one gives you and everyone else permission to say something if you feel there’s a problem.)

Respect everyone’s time.

• Start on time, end on time.
• Communicate in plenty of time about any times that need to change.
• Share the time; do not monopolize the discussion or rob others of the time they need to share their perspective. (This one says that it is a problem if one person does all the talking.)

Respect the work of the meeting.

• Know the meeting’s purpose and desired outcomes. If this is unclear, ask.
• Come prepared and ready to engage.
• Information is the raw material of results. Be ready to contribute any information you have that will improve the results in this meeting.
• Everyone is responsible for keeping the meeting on track. Speak up if you feel the group is drifting.
• Document clear commitments then follow-through; walk your talk.

Respect each other as human.

• Assume best intentions, but do not assume anything else. Ask questions to better understand anything that is unclear or troubling.
• Listen when others speak. Remember that no one has all the information, and don’t interrupt. (This rule, in combination with a well-run go-around, makes it possible for meeting leaders to get the opinions of several people into the discussion before calling on the dominant person and asks the dominant person to wait their turn.)
• Share your views and concerns in the room. Show each other courage and respect by having the tough conversations that need to be had directly.
• Treat each other with kindness and tolerance first. We all have tricky days when we aren’t at our best. You will appreciate this tolerance when that tricky day is yours.
• Take care of yourself. If you need to step out or take a break, do it. The group values your participation, so do what you need to do so you can devote your full attention.

How and When to Establish Team Ground Rules

Teams typically develop ground rules during team formation or alternatively, as part of a meeting improvement initiative.

Teams that are just forming can set their ground rules as one part of their larger working team agreement by asking “What agreements or ground rules do we want to set for our meetings?” as one item on the agenda.

For a template walking you through the creation of a full on Working Agreement, check out Lisette Sutherland’s process for setting a “ Remote Team Working Agreement ” (Tip: you don’t have to be a remote team to use it.) You’ll also see expectations for meetings discussed as one part of Paul Axtell’s process for introducing a new leader to a team . Finally, if you’re leading a sensitive conversation, take a look at the Guidelines for Leading a Sensitive Discussion by Dr. Patricia Roberts.

Existing teams that want to improve their meetings can also create ground rules together in a short, focused meeting.

Here’s an overview of that process.

A Meeting to Set Team Ground Rules

Purpose: To decide together our shared expectations for meetings

Desired Outcomes:

• An understanding of the things we agree help us do our best work in meetings
• A documented set of agreements—or ground rules—we’ll use to make sure our meetings are effective going forward

Preparation: Each team member should individually research these questions before the meeting.

• What are meeting ground rules and how are they used?
• What are some examples of companies or organizations that use meeting ground rules?
• Which ground rules do you think would help us hold better meetings?
• Introduction: What are ground rules and why should we use them? Quickly check in with everyone and refresh the group on the purpose for this meeting. Then, discuss what people found during their preparatory research for the meeting.
• What do we see when we’re working our best? What are we doing (or not doing) in our most productive and enjoyable meetings? Discuss your team’s experience with meetings, capturing both what everyone feels works well and the challenges that the team feels keep meetings from succeeding.
• Which ground rules should we adopt for our meetings? Work together to create your initial list of ground rules. Focus on getting the right ideas out there rather than on perfecting the specific wording. These are your rules; you can always change them later.
• Do these ground rules address the highest priority items we identified earlier? If not, is there anything else we need to change here now?
• Where will we post the ground rules so we can easily refer to them in meetings?
• Who will take responsibility for documenting these ground rules and sending them to the team?

Once you have a plan for finalizing and posting your new ground rules, you’re done!

How to Use Ground Rules

Ground rules are used to train and adjust meeting behavior. The most impactful and dramatic use of a ground rule is during a meeting when someone says:

“Sorry, but we agreed to xyz in our ground rules, so I think we need to…”

For example:

“Sorry, but we agreed to have one conversation at a time. I think Ted wasn’t quite finished with his point.” Or “We agreed to come prepared to meetings, but it looks like we aren’t ready to have this discussion. What should we do? Would you like to reschedule, or should we add 10 minutes to the meeting now so everyone can read the pre-work?”

Ground rules can also be:

• Shared with new team members and employees as part of the onboarding process. This helps new people know what to expect. Ideally, the new person will learn the ground rules from another team member rather than the boss, as this doubly reinforces that these are everyone’s rules to enforce.
• Posted in meeting rooms as a reminder (and as a way to demonstrate your values to visitors). Several start ups and technology companies have prominent Meeting Rules posters in their conference rooms to both remind their employees and impress outsiders with their professionalism.
• Updated to include special language and rituals that express your team’s character and unique culture. For example, some teams use the “Vegas Rule” – as in “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” to establish that meeting discussions are to be considered confidential.
• Shared in your organizational marketing and recruitment as an example of your team’s dedication to quality results. Yes, companies actually do this, which is what makes that prep assignment to go find examples possible!

More Sample Ground Rules and Resources

• Creating Group Guidelines for Terrific Teamwork by Northstar Faciltators
• Ground rules for a high performing team a case study by a PMI chapter, including a meeting example
• 8 Ground Rules for Great Meetings by Roger Schwarz for HBR
• 3 Steps to Implement Effective Meeting Ground Rules by Tai Tsao for Meeteor
• Craig Freshley’s Sample Ground Rules – especially useful for community and volunteer organizations
• Set ground rules for better team performance – another big list by the Talent Gear Team

Do you have ground rules that work particularly well for your team? Have you had an experience with ground rules that could benefit others?

Please share in the comments below!

Categories: tips & techniques

Elise Keith

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