Secrets Signals Keep Meetings Moving

I always set an agenda for staff meetings in advance. No agenda item is allowed to extend into the time of the next item. Teachers are parents too, so I always designate one staff member as the clock-watcher. That person keeps the meeting on track. But the plan is not as simple as it sounds. It's much more fun! You see, the clock-watcher and I agree ahead of time on a secret "time up" signal such as a tug on the earlobe. When the clock-watcher signals, I move the focus of the meeting to the next agenda item. But who is the signaler, and what is the signal? That's all part of the fun! As staff members entered the meeting, each was given a heart with their name on it. When the meeting is over, they write on their heart the name of the clock-watcher and what the secret signal was. The hearts go into a bag and are drawn until a winner is found. I did not expect the hilarious ideas I got about the secret signal. Among the guesses were "when Diana fluffed her hair" or "when Gail played with her skirt." The important thing was that when the meeting ended, the agenda was complete, people were still laughing, and our collegiality was even more solidified.

Source: Bill Myers, "Great Staff Meetings: Pointers from the Principals Who Lead Them" (EducationWorld.com -- August 20, 2002)