6 Ways to Hold a More Effective Meeting

When was the last time you got excited about going to a meeting?

“Woohoo! A meeting! It’ll be great!” Yeah… Chances are, it’s been a while—if ever. That’s why today, we’re going to briefly review meeting structure and discuss how to hold meetings that your entire team will look forward to! The start of a new year is a perfect time to take a step back, get out of the office, and assess your company’s progress. We ask ourselves questions like: “How far have we come?” and “Where are we going?” We zero in on missed opportunities and lessons. Our meeting rooms are decked out with action items, statistics, and specific department goals. In addition to these department meetings, we also have monthly all-employee meetings. We’ve learned a lot about what makes a great meeting by implementing the following 6 tips to make YOUR team’s meetings more impactful (and a lot more fun!)

1) Acknowledgments During your meeting, be sure to give shout outs to individual employees! Who stood out this month? Did anyone (or any department) go above and beyond? Additionally, are there any new employees to introduce?

2) Re-sell your vision. At each large company meeting, you should be reiterating one point… Why are you doing this? As the owner (and leader) of your company, it’s essential that you come to each meeting ready to re-sell the vision, sell any new changes to the vision, or just make sure you’re on the same path that you had originally thought. Keep the team involved and make sure you are all on the same page!

3) Make it an experience! Team members could share moving stories—both personal and professional. There is always something new and exciting to look forward to!

4) Get the team involved. Rather than have essentially the same meeting from month-to-month, always change up the meeting agenda and include guest speakers. Each meeting is a different presentation, and it should keep everyone on their toes!

5) Connect to personal life. Connect your team’s work to their personal lives. Ask yourself… How can their professional goals and opportunities allow them to meet their personal goals and opportunities? You want this meeting to be relevant to them on multiple levels in order to increase your impact.

6) Give them a journal. Give them a nice journal and let them know that you expect them to take notes during the meeting. What are the company’s current goals? Any changes? What is the vision? As the leader of your team, YOU need to set the precedent! Source: Written by Scheduling Institute