Tired of Boring, Fruitless Staff Meetings?

It may be time to shake things up a bit!  Most staff meetings involve the use of an all too familiar agenda:  1) The leader of the meeting makes a few announcements. 2) Meeting participants take turns giving “book reports” about what’s happening in their department.  3) The meeting ends with a feeling of faux satisfaction and the belief that everyone is informed and aligned – at least until the next meeting!  Does this sound like your weekly staff meeting?  If it does, then let’s look at an alternative.

During a conversation with Rafael Pastor this week, he touched on the idea of running a staff meeting in a similar fashion to a peer advisory group.  With that in mind, let me run with that thought and propose a new agenda for your next meeting:

1) As the leader of the meeting, don’t start by covering everything YOU believe is most important.  Start with the group instead and, rather than ask WHAT they are doing, have them report on how THEY are doing.  Create a forum where your employees can share personal milestones and express how they feel personally and professionally.  It not only sends a message that you care about the people as opposed to just the work, but also sets a good tone for upcoming conversations.

2) Ask someone who’s either recently attended a conference, read a relevant business book, or who is enrolled in courses outside of work to take 10 minutes to share what they learned last week.  That way, everyone receives value and it sharpens the employee’s presentation skills to boot.  (Identify the person prior to the meeting so they can come prepared.)

3) Make your announcements, promote dialogue, and then invite individuals to raise issues or challenges that they believe the group could be helpful in addressing.  This exercise leverages your breadth of talent, builds trust and camaraderie, and may actually help your team accomplish something.

4)  Close by asking each person to express in one sentence his/her top priority for the upcoming week.  It provides a point of focus for the employee and benefits the team as well.

5) Adjourn

Play with this template and devise an agenda that works best for you and your team.  By shaking up your staff meetings, you’ll likely make them more enjoyable and productive for everyone!

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