Before your next meeting, write down these three things:
- Purpose ← the topic or problem that brings a group together.
- Rational aim ← the action, decision, or outcome the group must arrive at.
- Experiential aim ← how the group will feel changed by the experience. Express this as a feeling: something like resolved or open or refreshed.
Many meetings begin with only one of these known. The best have all three.
Here’s how to use them:
- At the beginning of a meeting, share the meeting’s purpose and the rational aim. For example: “We are here today to X. We’ll get there by creating Y and Z together.”
- Keep the experiential aim to yourself, but keep it in mind.
- At the end, close with a question that reinforces the experiential aim.
Consensus Workshop
The Institute of Cultural Affairs’ Consensus Workshop is a more elaborate facilitation method. Consensus workshop uses the rational aim and experiential aim to build a fence around group work, and then offers structured planning tools to make sure those aims are met.
For today: keep it simple
Even for short, informal meetings, take a few moments to get clear on the meeting’s purpose and identify both a rational aim and an experiential aim.
- Knowing the purpose will help the group begin.
- Knowing the rational aim will help everyone walk the same path.
- And knowing the experiential aim will help you produce the experience of change or transition that is needed.
May 15, 2024: edited for length.