Some of you who know me, know that I am a huge fan of seeing movies in the theater. This week, I had the opportunity to see The Best of Enemies - which focused on the question of school integration in 1960s era North Carolina. As interesting as the true story was of the unlikely friendship that developed between community leaders with polarized opinions - I was particularly fascinated with the process that they used to get there.  

Here at CEI, we have the opportunity to work with a wide variety of organizations and communities on an even wider variety of issues and some of them can be pretty challenging. (Both the organizations and the issues!). One way that we can all help to set a group up for success is to consider how you are using the Principles of Trauma-Informed Care when you are hosting a meeting. As part of a toolkit that they have put together for organizations to improve their practices, the folks at Trauma-Informed Oregon have put together a few tips:

• When preparing for a meeting, think about the physical environment. Consider having water and maybe a healthy snack available. For longer meetings, you may want to have fidget toys available to help people self-regulate and think better. For any meeting, take a look at the physical space.  Is it too big or too small? Is there easy access to the door? If there are distractions that can't be controlled - let the group know what they are so that participants can be better prepared for what to expect and adjust accordingly.
• To begin the meeting, share the agenda, any building logistics and encourage people to take care of themselves should they have a need arise. Consider starting the meeting by allowing people to connect with one another briefly before moving into content. (After all, trauma-informed care is all about relationships!)
• During the meeting, offer information in as many formats as possible to allow for different styles of taking in and processing information. Be mindful of your language and try to limit the use of jargon or acronyms. For longer meetings, be sure to build in breaks. (We often use the idea of "one function" or "two function" breaks...a "one function" break means you can go the restroom or check email, but probably not both.)

Setting the stage to help meeting participants feel safe and welcome in a meeting is one way to support their ability to manage their own bodies and emotions and, ultimately, create an environment where people can feel heard, share a positive exchange of ideas, and come up with collective solutions that benefit all involved in the process.