The success of your Squad is extremely dependent on how effectively the group communicates. It’s important that everyone understands this, and as the Squad Mod, you are the one who sets the tone and expectation for the group to follow. This resource will provide you with the communication guidelines you need to have a successful Squads experience and act as the leader your Squad needs.
Be proactive & set the right expectations
It’s important to establish some ground rules and expectations for the Squads experience, including:
- Guidelines around respectful communication
- Communicate through the Group message instead of email
- Update the Squad if you can’t make it to a meeting
- Be open, honest, and have respect for everyone
- Be aware of how long you’re speaking and allow for others to contribute'
It’s also essential that as a Squad Mod, you lead by example and show the importance of these expectations above by following them yourself.
Enforce rules
It’s on you to remove someone from the Squad who does not show up regularly. It’s also your responsibility to make sure that everyone on the meeting gets a chance to speak, and that the schedule is followed. If you struggle with enforcing rules, please submit a support ticket and Ellevate staff will help you come up with a solution.
In the Group Conversation
The Group Conversation is the primary place you will communicate with your Squad other than the Zoom meeting itself. Below are the times in which you should be messaging the group:
- When the Squad first gets assigned: Welcome everyone to the Squad and tell them you will be giving them more information about your meeting time and the curriculum
- When you finalize the curriculum/ schedule: Direct the Squad to the curriculum and ask them to message you if they will be missing any days on the schedule so you can keep track.
- Before the Kickoff Meeting: Remind the Squad what pre-work they should do, and feel free to cut/ paste the agenda for the meeting in the message.
- After every meeting:
Remind them what you’ll be discussing next week/ share any pre-work they need to do
Tell them where they can find the meeting notes
Reference anything specific that came up in the meeting you just had that might be helpful.
The day before every meeting:
Remind the Squad what you’ll be discussing tomorrow
Remind the Squad what time you’ll be meeting tomorrow
Share any pre-work they need to do
On the meeting
The weekly Zoom meeting is where the magic happens! Follow this structure below if you need help getting the most out of each meeting:
- Welcome everyone to the meeting
- Explain what will happen in this meeting
- Turn it over to whoever is in the Hot Seat, facilitate the conversation if need be
- Follow the Hot Topic Meeting Agenda here if you’re discussing a Hot Topic
- With 5 minutes left:
Thank everyone for joining today
Tell them when you’re meeting next
Remind them where they can find notes from the meeting
What to do if...
A Squad member doesn’t communicate at all: If you haven’t heard from a Squad member or they miss more than 2 meetings, you are allowed to remove them from the Squad. Before you do so however, please send them a Direct Message on the Ellevate Conversations Tool asking them if they intend to continue with the Squad and contribute, and take it from there.
There are disagreements on the meeting: Even though respectful communication is a primary priority in Squads, there is always the possibility that members get carried away. If this happens, please gently remind Squad members of the Code of Conduct and Ellevate Values. No matter what happens, do not allow a disagreement or a moment of conflict distract from the point of the meeting.
Someone tells you they disagree with something in a private message: Respond to their message explaining that you hear their concern, and address it as you see appropriate. If you need guidance in a situation like this, please feel free to submit a support ticket and Ellevate staff will help you come up with a solution.
A Squad member disrespects the rules: If it happens once, address it verbally on the meeting or in a Direct Message. If it happens more than once, please feel free to submit a support ticket and Ellevate staff will help you come up with a solution - if someone needs to be removed from the Squad, we can help.