Structuring an Effective Team Meeting
I wasn’t sure I wanted to write this as a post. I mean, could I make it interesting and engaging and sizzling hot? Well, probably not. But I just don’t think I can ignore it any longer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a lover of meetings but I have learned that meetings effectively executed can catapult efficiency -and- effectiveness. I have also learned that running a meeting isn’t some innate “out of the womb” skill. It actually takes a bit of work. Well, I’m going to try and make it easy for you and give you the 411 on running the most effective department / team level meeting possible. Here goes.
What’s the objective of this meeting?
The objective of this meeting is to (i) unblock the items that are keeping team members from executing on their priorities; (ii) get aligned on the current state of the metrics that are important to measure/monitor; and (iii) make sure that any entropy (energy drain) is being surfaced.
It is NOT meant to be a time to have a “pleasant conversation”. If you want to do that (I’m all for pleasant conversations), then go get a cup of coffee and chat. There is 100% a place for that and I love those. Not here. It is also NOT the place to solve all the problems. Remember, these are expensive meetings. Don’t try to solve something that could otherwise be solved by a meeting between just two of you or with someone in another group. Think of this meeting as a way to triage the current issues and maybe solve a couple of things if they impact the group, but not everything.
Here are the 5 Steps to Running an Effective
Department or Team Meeting
Start the Meeting
Listen, people are coming in hot to these meetings because they are navigating their day that might have some stress and angst. Start the meeting with something that connects people. Consider an easy icebreaker question (ideas here). After that, just check in with everyone and see if they are really present and ready to participate. If I just got of a call with a cranky customer, I might not be in a great headspace. Let people know that it. It’s fine, just important to know that you’re not fully present.
Review Last Meeting Action Items
Presumably something came out of your last meeting around some action items that people had to do. Are there any that didn’t get done? Any blockers? Anyone want to renegotiate their actions?
Raise Questions to Answer (Q2A)
Think of Q2A as the place for people to put topics to discuss. Rather than pinging people all week long, just put it in Q2A so you don’t forget that you want to discuss it. Not everything in Q2A is high priority, so specify what is high, medium and low. Most of the meeting will be spent in this section addressing the items people want to discuss. Q2A will either resolve to some action item (we had the discussion and out of it came some actions to happen following this meeting) or will be addressed and resolved right then.
Write Down New Action Items
Out of the Q2A, you’re going to discuss things that need to happen out of the meeting. That’s the point of the meeting. So write stuff down and assign to an owner and a date for completion. If you don’t have action items coming out of a meeting, you’re probably not focusing hard enough. It is action (or creation) that propels teams forward and this is a good place to do just that.
End with an Appreciation
These meetings can get hot and spirited. But it’s not intended to be personal. Attack the item. Attack the issue. At end of the meeting, take a brief moment to have each person appreciate someone in the group for something they did (either during the meeting our outside of it). Let’s make sure to humanize everyone. We all feel good when we express and/or receive an appreciation. Closing the meeting with it can be really meaningful.
Where to document your meeting notes?
The short answer is whatever works for you and your team that is both accessible and allows for easy updates and notes. I use Asana because it’s a great way to organize the meeting and make sure nothing slips through the cracks. That said, your team will find what works for them. The key here is to just stay consistent. Treat these meetings as accelerants in your business. If you’re not there, you won’t accelerate yourself or might hold back someone on your team. That’s not cool!
Well, I don’t know if this was the sexy sizzle you were expecting but for some, it’s possible. I want to help you turn meetings from an energy drain to an energy gain. Keep it tight. Keep it simple. Accelerate!