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By: Justin Labson

Team meetings are an essential component of any work environment, yet they often take too much time or don’t communicate effectively, which is very wasteful. Also, when employees walk away from a long, unproductive meeting, it saps their morale and desire to attend the next scheduled meeting.

Running a successful meeting takes a bit of planning and some basic know-how: Consider the following tips.

Have a goal in mind

It might seem simple, but company leaders frequently hold meetings without establishing what they want the meeting to achieve. Common meeting goals include providing important information, having a discussion, strengthening interpersonal connections and fostering collaboration.

Spend some time planning a meeting agenda around specific goals prior to posting the meeting date and time. Being aware of what you want to cover in advance helps you figure out who must show up and what they should bring. Furthermore, setting a goal helps to figure out how long each item on the agenda should take.

Finally, a good meeting has a connection to the greater company mission and employees are made aware of that connection.

Stick to the agenda

Once a meeting starts, it’s crucial to stick to the agenda. If 10 minutes are set aside for Part A, then discussion around Part A should stop after 10 minutes. If need be, assign a timekeeper to keep the meeting on schedule.

If an item needs more discussion, it can be addressed if there is extra time near the end of the meeting or after the meeting with the key people to whom the discussion pertains.

Encourage participation

The purpose of getting employees together is to talk about things as a team, so ensure everybody is included in the discussion. If someone has stayed quiet for a long period, ask for their opinion, and encourage others to respond in kind.

Also, give each employee the opportunity to lead the conversation and put forward their ideas before anyone else. If people are encouraged to get involved, they will be more interested in these meetings, seeing them as a way to affect the way things are done.

Emphasize actionable items

Because every meeting has a purpose, each person that attends the meeting should walk away with actionable items, such as new safety methods to use or a long-term goal to work toward. Actionable items will crop up during discussions, and a recap at the end of the meeting can remind everyone what their actionable items are going forward.

It’s important to note that a manager should always walk out with actionable items they should follow up on and report their outcomes to their employees.

Make things fun

Let’s face it: Sitting around and ‘talking shop’ can be illuminating or cathartic, but it isn’t always the most fun thing to do. Adding in the occasional game, funny video clip, meme or whatever else to break things up can go a long way to engaging employees.

 

Looking to give your team a boost?

At Cornerstone, we support company leaders by providing them with custom talent acquisition solutions and service. Please contact us today to find out how we can help your company reach its goals.


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