At some point or another, most of us have had to sit through a boring, dull staff meeting. When this becomes a routine, it’s very easy for them to lose their effective and productive nature. Ultimately, those staff meetings are there to get you both on the same page. They’re an important resource for anything from performance management to project management. If you’re not getting them right, your business is stagnating. It’s that simple.
I’ve got six simple steps to help you turn this problem around.
Step 1: Seek Help From Additional Sources
It’s OK — we don’t expect you to know everything about effective staff meetings! You’re still new to the idea of starting your own business, and it takes time to get meetings just right. There are companies out there that still bore their employees to death with any type of get-together. So, why not reach out for a helping hand? There are experts who can help you streamline your meetings, for example. Or, there’s software for performance management to make meetings more effective and less outdated.
Step 2: Set Goals As A Team
If you’re the one standing at the front of the room and barking out commands, it isn’t going to get you very far. The whole point of a meeting with your staff — whether positive or concerning — is to gather ideas from everyone. Create a team atmosphere, not a dictatorship. This will help to keep staff invested in the meeting and come away with a positive attitude.
Step 3: Go Further Than A Group Discussion
You’ve probably noticed by now that some of your team are more talkative than others. If you make staff meetings an open discussion, it’ll be the same people who get a word in. Instead, why not look at going one step further? Hand out surveys, get staff to write their thoughts on a card, or do anything else that gets everyone involved.
Step 4: Ditch The Negativity
If you’ve called in an employee to discuss their poor performance, it’s going to be a negative atmosphere. But, do your best to remain positive and upbeat about the future. If you want a meeting to be effective, you both need to come away with clear goals and a will to improve.
Step 5: Don’t Go Over Time
Your meeting doesn’t need to go over time, and if it does, it’s because you’re not scheduling it correctly. Start planning your meetings in advance, and you’ll benefit from a more productive discussion. Also, you’ll avoid subjecting your staff to boredom!
Step 6: Create An Easily Accessible Plan
The whole point of any meeting is to get together and figure out a way forward. It might be that new construction project you’re planning. It might be related to the poor performance of an employee. It might even just be a regular check-up, seeking to improve the productivity of your staff on an ongoing basis. If none of you come away with a plan, however, what’s the point?! Make sure you develop an easily accessible plan that you can all refer to on a regular basis.
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