IDOARRT Meeting Design

Kick-off, Opening

Collaboration, Define intentions, Goal setting, Meeting facilitation, Team – work

Active listening, Communication

Up to 15 min, Up to 30 min

6-15 persons, 16 – 30 persons, More than 30 persons

Beginner

Safe

Introduction

IDOARRT is a simple tool to support you to lead an effective meeting or group process by setting out clear purpose, structure and goals at the very beginning. It aims to enable all participants to understand every aspect of the meeting or process, which creates the security of a common ground to start from. The acronym stands for Intention, Desired Outcome, Agenda, Rules, Roles & Responsibilities, and Time. This tool provides a structure that’s more than your average agenda. It gives full context for everyone involved, stating everything about the meeting to be held or prepared.

An “IDOARRT” also gives participants a chance to contribute, to raise any requests, concerns or additions to the plan. It enables you to clarify all assumptions before the meeting or workshop and build a common agreement that fits the needs and expectations of everyone

Necessary tools (what you need)

Pick an online whiteboard tool that allows to use a large, zoomable canvas.

Steps

Before the meeting/process, prepare a Flipchart / Slide outlining all the points of IDOARRT. See below:
- Intention – What is the intention, or purpose, of the meeting? In other words, why have it?
- Desired Outcome(s) – What specific outcomes should be achieved by the end of the meeting?
- Agenda – What activities will the group go through, in what order, to move toward the desired outcome?
- Roles – What roles or responsibilities need to be in place for the meeting to run smoothly? Who is facilitating, and who is participating? Who is documenting, and who is keeping track of the time? What do you expect of the participants?
- Rules – What guidelines will be in place during the meeting? These could relate to agreed group norms. They could also relate to use of laptops/mobiles, or practical rules related to a space. Let the participants add rules to ensure that they have ownership of them.
- Time – What is the expected time for the meeting, including breaks,and at what time will the meeting end?
At the beginning of the meeting, introduce the IDOARRT, going through point by point. Invite participants to ask questions or make suggestions for changes. Once the group is happy with the plan, go ahead with the rest of the meeting.

Tips & Tricks

Set up each topic at a different area of the board, spread them out just like you would do it on a wall of a room.
Invite participants to zoom in and visit each section and add their ideas as sticky notes once you reach that section of the exercise.
If you’re not using an online whiteboard, we’d recommend using a collaboration tool such as Google Docs to collect the information for each step under a separate heading. Invite everyone into the document but be very clear in regards to editing rights.
Prepare each point of the process in either your online whiteboard or Google Doc.

IDOARRT Meeting Design

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Introduction

Necessary tools (what you need)

Steps

Tips & Tricks

The exercise is successfully completed when? Conclusion?