Team meetings are crucial when running a company. They are the key to building great communication with your employees, a place where your team members can share their ideas, brainstorm together, and try to solve the company’s problems.
However, it’s easy to lose track of what’s important and let it run the wrong way. Without a good plan, disorganized meetings leave everyone exhausted, waste your and your employees’ time, and keep you away from some more significant work.
To not fall into the trap of that chaos again, here are the five tips on how to lead more productive team meetings and use your time better.
Use an interactive screen
Having visual stimulation is shown to be the most effective when it comes to learning something. Technology is getting better and better every year, and using interactive screens for business has become part of our everyday life. So, why not use them while having a meeting?
Without a keyboard or a mouse, tablets are easier to use, clean, and don’t demand a lot of space. Touch screens speed up the work process significantly because they are much faster than using computers for the same tasks.
Of course, by being easily accessible, they are a great solution for people who have physical issues or learning disabilities.
Besides tablets, you can use a wide range of technology, from mobile phones with a shared app, to large screens used for offices when a meeting includes some larger groups.
Avoid common mistakes
While running a meeting, there are some mistakes that you don’t want to make. It’s very tricky to always stick to the plan, forget about the time that you set, or let yourself be interrupted and forget what you were trying to say.
For example, in leadership meetings, which are quite common and operate on a higher level, interruptions are a big no. A leader’s time is valuable and those meetings are there to discuss strategies and stuff that will impact the entire company.
This also means that you avoid coming unprepared because improvisation will lead nowhere. With someone not ready for the meeting, chances are they will let another person dominate, be the center of attention, and not let others speak their minds.
If you struggle with those things and easily make mistakes while running a meeting, leadership training courses are something to think about. They can help you become a better leader and focus on improving your knowledge.
Prepare an agenda
Every meeting, from the most casual to the highly effective one, requires at least some kind of agenda. You can start by choosing the place and time, assigning roles, and entrusting tasks to different team members. It’s no different from setting the goals and expectations, and everyone should know what is their role in a meeting.
Make sure that everything is on the schedule, and include the following:
- Meeting location (for a video conference meeting, choose a platform such as Zoom or Webex, and make sure it’s available to everyone);
- Meeting schedule (divide meeting into sections and time each section);
- List of attendees (invite people who can contribute to the meeting);
- Meeting purpose (the reason for a meeting has to be of importance for everyone involved);
- Agenda items and objectives (talk about issues, new information, and decisions).
This will help everything run smoothly, and prevent mistakes from happening.
Let people brainstorm
The efficiency of a meeting rises when people are welcome to express their creativity and use the time to share new ideas. Communication is essential in every business, and organizing time to let your team members brainstorm is most valuable because there they can discover ideas that can help your company thrive.
Your employees should have the freedom of using their voices, and when they think about a problem in a meeting, working together and thinking out loud will be an easier way to find a solution than working individually.
Often, when there’s a discussion on how things are handled, someone who takes notes is a valuable asset. In those collaborative conversations, it takes someone with great listening skills and the ability to keep the ideas on track.
Enhance teamwork
As a leader, it’s your task to run the meeting, but remember that your employees are the most important asset. By working together on discussing strategies, accepting feedback, and making time for team-building, your employees learn to manage a process easily, and it all affects your sales growth.
Having a positive attitude and guiding your employees through the process will help you keep track of their performance and know who are your most valuable team members. Through trust, healthy communication, and empathy, many things are easier to achieve, and it all makes the meetings more efficient.
Conclusion
While learning to use these strategies, you will see the difference in your company’s growth. Teach yourself and your team members not to waste any more time, never to miss a meeting, and encourage them to collaborate. Also, communicate and reward amazing performance because this will increase engagement and result in growth in every way.
Don’t forget that you all have a shared goal, depend on each other, and that everyone’s voice counts. When there’s a problem, finding a solution is easier together. If you create a positive work environment, meetings will be a pleasant way of bonding.
