Best Practices: Meeting Courtesy Statement

As meeting leaders we have a responsibility to provide a safe space for everyone. To that end we have some suggestions to make your meeting safe and helpful.

1. Each meeting generally lasts an hour but has 30 minutes before and after for conversation related to the meeting. Before the meeting is the perfect time to select co-hosts and readers and to get all your screen-sharing organized. Please be courteous and vacate the zoom room no later than half past the hour. See How to Add a Meeting for details on when meetings can start and end.
   
2. Host (leader) needs to be aware that if they ‘end the meeting for all??’ it will abruptly close down unless everyone is aware. If some members are wanting a few minutes to finish a conversation, but the host leader needs to go, the host leader should assign HOST privileges to some other trusted person.  If the HOST simply leaves the meeting, it will cause confusion and possibly prevent the next meeting from using the room See Best Practices – How to Host a meeting
   
3. Be extremely careful when a new leader steps up takes over responsibility for leading the meeting and needs to know the HOST CODE. This is not something to put in the meeting chat – even with a Direct Message. Again, see See Best Practices – How to Host a meeting for details on the HOST CODE and how to give it to a new leader.
   
4. It is essential for all service positions for a meeting to be trained on maintaining security for the meeting since we have had intrusions from non-members that are very unsettling. Training is available both on the OA Footsteps calendar and through oasandiego.org.
   
   It is essential that the meeting members include two people trained in security via OA Foot Steps or oasandiego.org.  Also, one person trained in zoom security should be present at each meeting
   
5. See Meeting Support/Meeting Leader Support web page.
   
6. It is very important that the meeting send a representative to the OA Foot Steps Intergroup meeting, held on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 3:00pm ET.
   
7. Each meeting session should have a leader, a meeting format and a person trained in security.