Well organized weekly meetings can turn your staff into a team.
Focused team meetings create greater awareness of the business, says Joanne Ferguson president, coach and consultant with Advisor Pathways in Toronto. They can help pull everyone together and help you get more value from your staff.
Follow these tips to make your team meetings more efficient and productive:
> Plan for the week
Time your meetings so they give you a head start on the week.
Schedule a team meeting for either a Monday or a Friday, Ferguson says, so the team can go over everything that has to be done for the coming week.
Remember to review all activities, from client meetings to team members’ vacation time.
> Same time, same place
Emphasize the meeting’s importance by scheduling it for the same day and time each week, Ferguson says.
When the meeting is always at a set time, people can’t make excuses for not attending, such as having another appointment, she says, or being “too busy.”
> Choose a comfortable setting
Keep your team focused at the meeting by holding it in the right location.
“Good meetings happen when team members are comfortable,” Ferguson says, “and they are uninterrupted.” Find a quiet, comfortable space that will be free of intrusion.
It’s best to meet in a boardroom, Ferguson says. If you are in a large building with a coffee shop in the lobby, consider meeting there if it isn’t too busy. If you are meeting in your office, make sure phone calls are forwarded to voicemail.
> Assign responsibility
During the meeting, Ferguson says, make sure everyone has some responsibility for the work coming up in the week ahead.
Assign names to different tasks, and go over any new items or issues concerning your business processes that need to be addressed.
Reviewing these details and assigning tasks ensures that everyone is clear about their roles and responsibilities.
> Prioritize ideas
It can be difficult to note team members’ unsolicited ideas without deviating too far from the meeting’s agenda, Ferguson says.
One way to do that is to colour code lists of suggestions. For example, the “green” list might be for ideas that can be acted on immediately; “yellow” would be for ideas that can be acted on in the next three to six months; and “red” would be for six months to a year. That way, you can note every idea without being distracted by them.