Things that make an IEP meeting more successful

On Tuesday, April 27th, UNC Special Education Dept. put on a faux IEP Meeting. It was held in a small classroom, and students surrounded the table where the "meeting" was held. Present was the student, "Arizona", with her parents, all the special education teachers, and the dept. head of the special education department. We were to note some of the important and positive aspects of the meeting. I will write the things that I felt were important in making an IEP meeting a positive and understandable experience.
In my opinion, the most important part of the meeting is to take a moment to explain all the procedures, tests, forms and issues that will be discussed in the meeting. Have a mini introduction before you even start.
Another important thing that I noticed was a lack of respect for all involved, especially the student. Parents need to understand the challenges each teacher faces. Teachers need to also understand a parent's frusterations, fears, and insecurities. A mutual respect is essential!
Another aspect in the meeting that I thought was positive was being able to keep a sense of humor. It takes a lot of the stress off. And keeping the meeting within a certain time limit helps to prevent it from becoming stale and overdone.
An IEP meeting can be a positive experience for all involved and it can be if some effort is put into this end.