Meeting Literacy: Communicate with Clarity, Confidence & Credibility
Diana L. Bacon is a governance and meeting procedure consultant, coach, and educator. Diana recently stopped by Get a G.R.I.P. with Coach Elix to discuss the importance of good governance and meeting literacy in groups, communities, and organizations.
What is Good Governance?
The word governance describes the actions and decisions of leaders of a group, school, corporation, city, or nation — not only the decisions but how those decisions come about and who takes part in the process.
Diana Bacon had a passion for good governance before she ever heard the word. As a child, she watched her parents participate in community groups and organizations, and she was active in student government throughout middle school and high school. It was during college that Diana's passion for meeting literacy and good governance became her life’s mission.
How Do We Recognize Good Governance?
According to Diana, understanding good governance helps us recognize its absence and take action to mitigate the risk of negative impact on an organization or the people in the community.
Diana explains, “As citizens, we have the right to have our voices heard. People with little experience working in a committee or organizational settings may have something valuable to contribute but don’t know how or when to express it.” That’s where learning about good governance and parliamentary procedure is vital.
During the Get a G.R.I.P. Podcast, Diana provided helpful tips to learn more about meeting literacy and good governance. “Buy an authorized book about parliamentary procedure, such as “Robert’s Rules of Order” (newly revised in brief) and familiarize yourself with meeting motions…this can be very empowering.”
Learning about meeting rules and procedural regulation helps builds confidence to attend meetings and participate. “Go to a meeting, then go home and look through the book to understand what happened. Read, attend meetings, repeat.”
For listeners who want to get involved but don’t know where to start, Diana advises starting small: learn the process by showing up and getting involved. Over time you will feel comfortable raising your hand, asking questions, and claiming your seat at the table.
There is power in numbers. Groups come together because there is a need and because people want to make a difference in the community. When you join a group, you are no longer acting alone; the collective group spirit may collaborate on an idea that no one had thought of alone.
Connecting with Diane L. Bacon, MBA, PRP
The G.R.I.P. Method
G.R.I.P. stands for "Greatness Requires Intention & Purpose," and many who have followed this method can attest to that. This strategy helps people find their goals, inspirations, and visions and execute them with clear intentions through planning, purpose, and integrity. It works with science and psychology to make dreams a reality.
It is a roadmap that guides you through struggles and hardships, with the final destination being the life you want to lead or the changes you wish to make. The G.R.I.P. Method offers a plan to go from fear to freedom and helps you break away from where past attempts did not work.
