What are three
roles for a meeting agenda?The Two-Minute Trainer is offered to provide quick tips to improve your own work or organization's
effectiveness.This Two-Minute Trainer
will focus on the importance of an agenda to an effective meeting.
An agenda has three
important purposes which contribute to an effective meeting.It informs attendees what will be covered,
provides a guide for the meeting, and can act as a control
mechanism for the meeting.
Informing attendees
about what will be covered at a meeting PRIOR to the meeting date is very
important.Sending out an agenda one
week in advance lets attendees know what will be covered at the meeting.When someone knows in advance what is being discussed, they can
make an informed decision to attend and be part of the discussion or not attend and miss out on the opportunity to give input.It provides a basis for not re-hashing previous topics because individuals were made aware in advance, by the agenda, what topics would be discussed. Sending out an agenda prior to the meeting also provides an opportunity for
attendees to come prepared to discuss a topic and not table an agenda item
because someone doesn’t feel prepared to discuss.
An agenda provides a
guide as to what will be covered. A well designed meeting has an agenda that
that not only identifies the topics and, also, provides time frames as guides
for each topic.This provides a
structure to keep the conversation focused and an opportunity for the convener
to speed up discussion a bit, when necessary, to guide the attendees to closure
on a particular topic.
Finally
an agenda can provide control over the meeting.If something is not listed on an agenda as a topic to be covered, the convener can
disallow the topic for the current meeting. The new topic can then be added to a future meeting agenda or, if not an appropriate agenda item, the convener can have a conversation with the individual after the meeting to
explain why it will not be a future agenda item.So,
the next time you are part of planning a meeting, be sure to develop a good
agenda to contribute to an effective meeting!
The 2018 BWSR Academy will be held October 29-31, 2018, at Breezy Point Conference Center near Brainerd. Online registration will begin August 27. Early-bird registration will be $45 per day. Future updates will be posted on the BWSR Academy webpage.
NEW IN 2018
BWSR Academy will no longer have a Wetlands track and will offer fewer wetland-specific training sessions compared to past years. The BWSR Wetland Section will be implementing a more regional training approach in 2018 that will continue to provide training on Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) implementation while allowing WCA LGU staff to take advantage of a wider variety of sessions at Academy. Please see below for information on upcoming regional WCA training.
2018
Regional Wetland LGU and TEP Training
The
customized Regional Wetland LGU and TEP Training will take a hands-on regional
approach on applying technical, administrative, and regulatory training for
wetland LGUs and TEP in the area. For more details go to www.bwsr.state.mn.us/training. Registration is
now open. Call the BWSR Duluth Office with questions - 218-723-4752.
Also visit the Training Links page to find web-based
technical training resources sorted by category. These trainings are
intended to complement formal classroom or field trainings to develop job
approval authorities (JAA) and/or Conservation Planner Certification for field
staff.
For additional information contact Matt Leavitt, Organic Specialist, Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) at 715-778-5775 or matt@mosesorganic.org.
For additional information contact Matt Leavitt, Organic Specialist, Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) at 715-778-5775 or matt@mosesorganic.org.
For additional information contact Matt Leavitt, Organic Specialist, Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) at 715-778-5775 or matt@mosesorganic.org.
Jessica Petersen and Megan Benage, MN DNR, are conducting a podcast called the PrairiePod, which you can access it through the DNR’s website or through iTunes! They talk informally about various prairie-related topics with a large focus being on all the issues surrounding how to restore a parcel of land to glorious prairie. New episodes will air every Tuesday (#PrairieTuesday) throughout the end of August.
Looking
for information about an emerging conservation topic?The USDA Science and Technology Training
Library might just be your one stop shop.In addition to the live webinars broadcasted each month, the site also
has a link to previously broadcasted webinars, allowing you to watch the topics
you want, when you want.There is also
a search feature so you can type in a specific topic to see if there is an
“On-Demand” webinar available for viewing.
The Pasture Project Webinars
The Pasture Project is a movement of farmers and farmland supporters helping land managers reintegrate livestock rotation in the heart of Upper Midwest farming. Please visit their Events page to find webinar recordings.
For additional Learn on Your Own, please visit BWSR training sites:
Technical Training Links - The MECA educational videos,
LiDAR webinars, and Shoreline Restoration/Stabilization videos previously found
in Train Tracks are now found within the Training Links pages: