We’ve all been in that meeting—the one that drifts, spirals, or erupts into unproductive chaos. You show up with good intentions, only to leave wondering,…What just happened?
Here is an example of a meeting we saw, as described by fellow researcher, Kira Hicks.
The Case of the Friday Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) Team Meeting
Team Meeting Friday!!!
Agenda:
• Problems
• Ideas
Meeting notes from Friday
3:00 – Two team members were present.
3:15 – Two realized that time and place had not been announced.
3:20 – Announcement made over the loudspeaker.
3:40 – All eight team members are finally present.
3:45 – Discussion about the schoolwide PBIS raffle system begins.
– Mr. A and Mr. B feel teachers should be tracked for not using raffle tickets.
– Ms. C, Mr. D, and Ms. E feel participation should be voluntary.
This discussion continues until 4:05 with no resolution
4:10 – Ms. F notes that raffles based on schoolwide tickets often do not happen due to a lack of system.
Ms. G and Ms. H propose a schedule; Mr. A and Ms. D oppose it.
At 4:30, voices rise, fingers point. Ms. G and Mr. B call for an end to the discussion since the meeting should’ve ended at 4:15.
4:30 – Mr. B raises the idea of having a facilitator to guide the PBIS meetings. Ms. C tells a story about a “tyrant” leader. Ms. D shares a similar experience.
4:45 – Team agrees to disagree and schedules another meeting—time and place to be announced.
Sound familiar?
These kinds of meetings don’t fail due to apathy. They fail because of a lack of structure and clarity. The good news? It’s fixable—with a mix of planning, purpose, and a little humanity.
Step 1: Decide on Your Purpose (and if you need to meet)
Take a moment to think about these questions:
- Does your team struggle to find agenda items?
- Is the team unclear about the purpose of the meeting?
If you answered yes to either of these questions, your meeting may not be necessary. It is possible that your meeting is a solution in search of a problem. Before you call the meeting, write a clear purpose or outcome. For example, the purpose might include:
- Find patterns in office discipline referrals to identify behavioral expectations to reteach.
Or
- Review disaggregated MAP data by grade level to see if students are responding to the core reading curriculum.
If your purpose is to update team members, consider canceling the meeting and sending an email instead. Whatever your purpose is, clearly state it at the top of the agenda. Review this purpose at the beginning of the meeting.
Step 2: Get Clear on the Basics
A good meeting starts before anyone sits down. I often review this meeting rubric (below) to help teams check how they’re doing in a few key areas. These steps help teams consider the big ideas related to a well-run meeting. We developed this tool in the early stages of our PBIS work with high schools:
| Category | Exceeds Standard | Meets Standard | Does Not Meet Standard |
| Scheduling and Communication | Notices sent at least two weeks in advance with agenda and materials; clear purpose; reminders sent week-of. | Notice sent with date, time, and purpose. | Notice missing key information or sent last-minute. |
| Agenda Creation and Use | Agenda tied to action plan, includes previous minutes, data review, and time for next steps. | Agenda provided and followed. | No agenda or missing key elements. |
| Timeliness | Starts and ends on time; facilitator connects discussion to larger goals. | Meeting runs on schedule. | Late arrivals, meetings run over. |
| Staying on Track | Follows agenda closely; respectful discussion; clear action items. | On track most of the time. | Side conversations, conflicts, or off-topic debates. |
| Action Planning | Tasks delegated with roles assigned and due dates. | Tasks are identified, but missing assignments and/or due dates. | No clear next steps. |
| Participation | Everyone engaged; diversity of voices represented; progress celebrated. | Most attend and contribute. | Inconsistent participation. |
| Follow-Up | Notes distributed within two days. | Notes within five days. | Notes not shared. |
You can find a downloadable link to this rubric here (link).
Step 3: Start with the Human Moment
Before you jump into the agenda or action items, take a few minutes to check in with each other. Ask how things are going. Are there family concerns, workload challenges, or small wins to share?
Check-ins aren’t therapy—they are humanity. People can’t contribute effectively if they’re running on empty or feeling unseen. Even a two-minute check-in helps teams reconnect to why they’re in the room together. Meetings are not just about solving problems, but about supporting one another in doing meaningful work. Teams that show support and concern for each other’s well-being report lower exhaustion and stronger performance (Jones & Team, 2020).
Step 4: Keep It Respectful and Visible
Even with the best intentions, meetings can go off the rails when the tone shifts. We have often used a Meeting Guidelines t-chart to tackle this problem. The chart includes ‘helpful’ and ‘not helpful’ behaviors to help teams stay focused and respectful.
When meeting leaders notice eye rolling, side conversations, or other distractions, they gently hold up the chart as a cue. It’s not meant to shame; just a reminder that we agreed to do this differently.
Here is a sample chart created by one of our high school teams.
| Please avoid: | Please do: |
| – Discouraging participation of others (in and out of meetings) – Eye rolling, finger pointing, loud or aggressive tone of voice, “snapping” – Dominance of one voice when discussing an item – Sarcasm – Straying from the agenda – Venting or storytelling – Bringing up individual names when discussing a negative example (students or staff) – Acting as a spectator (no real participation) – Making judgmental or intimidating comments (e.g., “That’s a bad idea”) – Allowing a disagreement to escalate or take up more than five minutes of meeting time | – Leave each meeting with a task to do and report back on the next time – Stick to the agenda – Start and end on time – Be aware of para-language (facial expressions, tone of voice, etc.) and its impact on meeting climate – State any barriers or concerns respectfully, and accompany them with a suggestion for improvement – Be sure multiple voices are heard (share the mic) and ask for input – Limit discussion to task completion – Designate a note taker – Honor the direction of the facilitator – When giving feedback, acknowledge the idea without negative adjectives, then offer an alternative (e.g., “I see where you are going with this, but could we do _______ instead?”) – Recommendations/decisions are made by majority vote of members present – Disagreements should be voiced with respect, noted in the meeting minutes, and resolved by majority vote |
It’s incredible how quickly norms become habits when teams have a shared language for what works.
Step 5: Close the Loop
Meetings should not be spectator sports. In my experience, the people who usually cause the most problems in meetings offer critiques, but no solutions. Sometimes it feels like people come to the meeting to throw verbal rocks and then leave.
One team leader taught us how to address this problem. Everyone must have their name on at least one action item before leaving the meeting.
Running an effective meeting is only half the equation. The other half is how we end it. Clear communication about who’s doing what next—and how we’ll follow up—keeps things moving and prevents misunderstandings.
The meeting minutes should always include next steps, with specific due dates and role assignments.
As you review your action items, you may want to consider reaching out to people outside the meeting. I wrote a separate blog post about avoiding communication problems when planning that could be useful to you (link).
Final Thought
One model that incorporates many of these steps is Team-Initiated Problem Solving (TIPS, link). This approach might be helpful to your team. Consider exploring it if your team is looking for a structured process to guide your PBIS meetings.
Meetings don’t have to be something we run from. With a little structure, along with shared expectations, they can become spaces where people feel heard. By allowing time for genuine human connection, people also feel valued and productive.
When we start with care and end with clarity, we transform meetings from energy drains into engines of collaboration.
I would love to hear your thoughts on running effective meetings. Please feel free to leave a comment below.