Fleck’s Synergy | HostingTransformation

Fleck’s Synergy

With this method, you can enable mutual support and peer coaching, improve collaboration, reduce time for formal meetings, get more done – and have more fun.

A Synergy meeting engages all participants in agenda-building and time-keeping. For each agenda item it focuses attention on the ‘topic owner’; all other participants become a resource for that person to meet his or her objectives. It is widely practiced in two different contexts: 1. As a ‘container’ for personal and professional development, enabling a group (nominally of six people) to act effectively as peer coaches for each other 2. As a method for conducting any scheduled meeting, especially when decisions are to be made.

What is
Fleck’s Synergy
about ?

What is

Fleck’s Synergy

about ?

What is this Method about ?

All participants contribute to building the agenda

If you are inviting people to a meeting you may well start preparing the agenda in advance: but always open the meeting by asking participants what topics they want to raise. Only when the agenda is complete do you begin work on the first topic.

Every topic has its own block of time

The person who proposes a topic also specifies how much time s/he would like the group to spend on it, including presentation, discussion, decision – everything you need to do to get results. Once agreed, the time must not be exceeded! (But you can take less time if you like.)

Consensus on order of topics

The group is invited to decide "what to do now", i.e. to select one topic at a time (and only one). There is no pressure to "get in first" because we know in advance that every topic will receive its agreed block of time.

When and why is this Method used ?

This method is useful in two different contexts:
For regular peer coaching meetings, including coach and facilitator training.
For radically improving the quality of workplace and other action-oriented meetings, including enabling an improvement in collaboration and relationships.

Audience

Is participant experience relevant for Fleck’s Synergy ?

It's okay if participants haven't seen the inside of a classroom in years

Audience description for Fleck’s Synergy

Any group that cares about a common purpose, whether that purpose is work- or action-related, or concerns peer-supported personal and professional development.

Other prerequisites for participants

They need to care about the common purpose of the group, at least to the extent that they take the exercise seriously.

Requirements

Experience level of the facilitator

Routine as participant OR professional facilitator

Run Through

Pre Exercise

Steps

Build the agenda

One person facilitates agenda building. Each person names his/her topic(s). The facilitator writes the emerging agenda on a flipchart or whiteboard, for everyone to see. Any participant can propose any number of topics (including none). Here an example from a peer coaching context:

Name	Topic	No. of minutes requested
Margaret	I feel demeaned and vulnerable when criticized by my manager (who is VERY critical)	30
Peter	My son’s football club want me to step in as coach. Not sure what I want…	16
Eric	Celebrate with me: 6 weeks without cigarettes!	3
Christine	I’m no longer on sick leave but I have zero energy...	12
George	I get really impatient with ‘small talk’ and gossip, and my life seems to be full of it. Help!	25
Eva	No topic yet. Open time	10

Here an example from a project meeting:

Name	Topic	No. if minutes requested
Betty	Incomplete statistics, input requested	10
Ollie	How to deal with complaints from neighbours	25
Alan	How can we help each other? – some ideas	30
Christine	Thoughts about how to inform people what we’re doing	12
Harry	Review of how far we’ve all got	25
Peter	Time needed to care for sick child – changed times	5
Ciaran	New thoughts about raising money	5
Amanda	Open topic	8
Rob	Nothing special today	0
Ollie	More meetings – book dates	10
	Break	20
	Transfer time	10
Ollie	Evaluation of meeting	5

The time blocks requested are added up (in the second case 2 h 50 min), and compared with the total time available for the meeting. If there is enough time for everything, the meeting skips Stage 2 and goes on to Stage 3.

Negotiation

Only the person who has requested the topic can decide to reduce its time (or even take it out, for example till the next meeting). The negotiation itself takes time, so everyone is eager to reach agreement. Changes are noted on the agenda.

Do it

One person facilitates; this can be a member of the group, or an external facilitator. Their job is to help the group stay on track. * The facilitator asks: Who/what item do we start with? Anyone can suggest her/himself or someone else. The group must agree before anyone starts. The facilitator notes on the agenda whose turn it is. At that point the clock starts ticking. * The topic owner is responsible for guiding the discussion, and for ending in time. S/he may ask someone else to help with time keeping. * When the topic is closed the facilitator crosses the time slot off the agenda and asks the first question again: what do we do next? The meeting ends on time – or early! – and everyone has had their say and their time.

project

IN WHICH THIS method WAS DEVELOPED

Hosting Empowerment

author(s)

OF THIS method

ERASMUS +

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union. Find more information about the program and its goals here: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

Creative Commons license:

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