Staff Meeting Success for Any Environment

Ready to take your staff meeting to the next level? Let’s walk through some strategies for an effective team meeting.

First and foremost, the staff meeting is not all about the manager. It’s about the team and its operations and culture. As a manager, if I’m learning about everything happening with the group in a staff meeting, I’m not as involved as I should be. I’m a believer that the staff meeting should be about keeping all members included and up to speed.

In the current environment where team meetings could be hybrid – part of the team in the room and part of the team doing remote work on video from home – keeping that team meeting culture can be challenging but not impossible. Effective team meetings are very much possible with current tech enabling us to bring team members together from all over the country or world.

I’ve managed teams of varying size, industry, and function and there is no one-size-fits-all template for a successful staff meeting. It’s truly unique to the situation, company, and/or team.

But, there are common principles and strategies of effective staff meetings that are consistent no matter the environment or situation.

Let’s walk through some best practices for meeting agendas and meeting management.

The Team Owns The Staff Meeting Agenda

Team members need to own the meeting so make sure they’re adding agenda items to discuss with the team. Oftentimes, I’ve seen the manager creating the agenda each time. I believe the team members need to have ownership in the meeting and be updating the agenda with items they feel need to be discussed as a team.

Yes, the manager should also add items they don’t see being added. But, I like to see members of the team own updates and be responsible for adding to the agenda.

Start By Being Human

The team meeting can have fun mixed with the business. Maybe it’s just my style, but I like to have some social chatter before we get started. I like to hear about weekend adventures and upcoming plans of the team. I also like to share some personal aspects of my life as an ice breaker. I’ve found that vulnerability creates an open and honest atmosphere among the team.

The remote employees need this. They need to feel connected and they need to feel a part of the company and their team member’s lives. It’s just one piece to bridge the divide of location.

If the team is large, just have a couple people share each time. Put a little creativity behind it and make it fun.

Staff Meeting Agenda Templates for Metrics and Objectives

The staff meeting needs to be a mix of metrics and objectives review as well as operational collaboration. All teams should have objectives and metrics they’re measuring that role up to yearly company initiatives. Maybe not every team meeting, but at least once a month these should be reviewed to monitor progress.

Creating a meeting template or tracker for this that can be updated throughout the year helps all members of the group have the visibility they need on the group’s progress.

Time It Out and Prioritize

If the team is operating at a high level there will be more staff meeting topics to discuss than the allotted time will allow. It’s the managers job to prioritize these based on company needs and objectives.

Additionally, if the group is vocal with many participants, timing out sections of a staff meeting is also a good idea. But, be flexible with this. You don’t want to end a productive discussion just because the time is up. Closing a topic too early could cut off great ideation or problem solving.

Confirm Topic Leader

Members of the group should have ownership for topics discussed at a staff meeting. Either key updates, gathering feedback, or project planning should have an owner that drives the discussion. This helps the team know who should come prepared to lead what part of the meeting. The flow of the meeting is better when topic owners have prepared.

As a manager this also give you a better idea of who in the group is a leader and ready to make the next leap in their career.

Staff Meeting Minutes

I like to make sure at least one member of the group is the dedicated note taker for staff meetings. It can be someone different each time but decisions, action items, and owners need to be recorded. This creates accountability among the group and keeps everyone in the loop (particularly those that couldn’t attend) on the meeting outcomes.

Plus, it allows the team to review the meeting notes at the next meeting.

Once a Quarter – Toss the Agenda in the Trash

Once a quarter I like to do a brainstorming session that involves nothing of the week-to-week operations or yearly objectives. I will typically make it a surprise on the calendar and I’ll toss out a question like:

“What are two ideas you have to drive 10% more conversions a month?”

The key here is that there are no owners coming out of the meeting and no pressure to implement anything. It’s a chance for people to think outside the box and get creative in their thinking. I simply record and keep track of the ideas for review at a later date. I love how this gets the group to just conceptualize without having to implement.

These 7 elements to improve staff meetings can be applied to any industry, environment, group size, etc. They bring all the team into the discussion and maximize the time you’re spending together as a team.

Remember, successful staff meetings aren’t cheap. Add together the approximate hourly rates of your team and you can get an idea of how much that hour or so together is costing. Don’t get me wrong, the investment is necessary and needed, but you do get an idea for the money you’re putting into it.

Take advantage of that time!

What staff meeting strategies have you found you can’t live without?