Module Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Reflect on your feelings and experiences in past meetings
• Explore how to support and run inclusive meetings through inclusive meeting principles
• Be proactive in implementing strategies in future meetings

Introduction Activity and Reflection

Meetings can either feel like inclusive, welcoming spaces or places where people hesitate to share or participate. A lot of this comes down to how the meeting is designed—its goals, structure, and activities all play a role in shaping the experience.

Think of a meeting where you felt the most welcome and comfortable. What made it that way?

• What was presented in that meeting?
• Who attended the meeting?
• What was the meeting about?

Inclusive Meeting Principles

There are key principles to keep in mind when designing and planning supervisory meetings. These apply to both recurring meetings and those focused on progress updates or research discussions.

To ensure supervisory meetings are inclusive, consider:

Place:

• Where is the meeting taking place?
  On-campus or virtual
• What do you and the student need to make this meeting space inclusive?
  Captions, room lighting, use of cameras, and seating are all things you can consider

Frequency:

• How often are meetings taking place?
• Is this a co-created schedule of meetings?
• Have the agenda and deliverables been co-created for this meeting?

Document Sharing:

• How is information shared for the meeting, and can there be a choice?
• What tools are used to share information, and are they accessible?

Flexibility:

• How much flexibility is built into these meetings?
• Can they be held in different modalities?

Final Thoughts (and reflection)

Based on the information shared about inclusive meeting principles and considerations:

• What are some elements that are missing in the meetings that you attend or organize in order for them to be more inclusive?
• Take 5 minutes and create a workflow to ensure those elements are present going forward