Running successful staff meetings can either MAKE or BREAK the success of a business. It’s a time to discuss important topics, make decisions, and keep everyone on track.
However, running effective meetings can be challenging, especially when you have a team with diverse personalities and opinions. If done correctly, they can be a great opportunity to raise employee morale, increase greater job performance and align your employees with your company goals.
Here are 8 tips for running successful staff meetings:
1. Set clear goals
One of the most important things you can do when planning a staff meeting is to set clear goals for what you want to accomplish during the meeting.
This means taking some time beforehand to think about what topics need to be discussed, who needs to be involved in those discussions, and how long each topic should take up during the meeting.
Once these goals have been established, make sure all participants understand them before the start of the meeting so they can come prepared with their own thoughts or contributions on those topics.
2. Have a clear agenda
Creating an agenda ahead of time helps ensure that your staff meeting stays focused on its objectives while also providing a useful reference point for all participants.
Your agenda should include the date, time, and location of the meeting as well as a list of topics to be discussed and who will be responsible for leading each one.
It’s also important to leave some flexibility in your agenda so you can accommodate any additional topics or discussions that may come up during the course of the meeting.
3. Start AND end on time
One of the most important rules when it comes to running successful staff meetings is to start AND end on time.
Being punctual sets an example for everyone else and shows them that you value their time and expect them to do the same. You should also make sure that all materials needed for the meeting are prepared ahead of time so there are no delays.
4. Encourage participation
Encourage your team to share their thoughts and ideas during the meeting. To do this, make sure that your agenda leaves plenty of room for discussion, questions, and idea-sharing.
You can also use tools like online surveys or polls to help facilitate meaningful conversations among participants.
5. Assign roles
Another way to keep staff meetings running smoothly is to assign roles for each meeting.
This should include:
A facilitator who will help guide the conversation and make sure everyone gets their turn to speak.
A timekeeper who will be responsible for keeping track of how long each topic takes up during the meeting.
A note-taker who will document any decisions or action items that come out of the meeting.
AND
A recorder who will ensure that all important points are captured in writing.
6. Assign action items
After discussing each topic, assign specific action items to team members.
At the end of each staff meeting, be sure to go over the action items that need to be addressed in the coming weeks or months.
These can include anything from a task someone needs to complete to follow-up research that needs to be done. Assigning clear tasks and deadlines will help ensure everyone involved is on the same page and working towards the same goal.
7. Follow up
After the meeting, follow up with team members to ensure that they understand their action items and are working towards completing them.
This can be done by either sending out a summary email outlining the key points discussed or setting up individual check-in meetings with relevant stakeholders.
Following up ensures that everyone is held accountable for their commitments and helps ensure that tasks are completed on time.
8. Avoid distractions
One of the biggest enemies of productive staff meetings is distractions….
This can include anything from people checking their phones to conversations drifting off-topic. To avoid these issues, make sure everyone knows that they should leave their phones on silent and that all conversations should stay focused on the topics at hand.
These 8 tips should help you create an environment that keeps everyone engaged, productive, and moving forward towards achieving your business’ goals.
If you want help taking advantage of these techniques; book a FREE Breakthrough Session Today and elevate your staff meetings.
April Cummins