HOW TO IMPROVE TEAM EFFICIENCY: RUNNING TEAM MEETINGS
Making team meetings effective is a major test of leadership skills. The key to holding a productive meeting involve everybody actively in the proceedings. Ensure that team members understand the purpose of each meeting and what is expected of them.
Fulfilling Your Purpose
Meetings should always have a clear purpose over and beyond the exchange of information. Determine the purpose of each meeting carefully – for example, is it to plan future action, or discuss a new recruit? Draw up an agenda listing the points to be discussed and distribute this in advance of the meeting so that people know why they are attending and can gather their thoughts beforehand. Lead the discussion and make your purpose clear, but aim to achieve consensus within the team.
Considering Frequency
Team and progress meetings should be held at least once every two weeks, so that the group’s plans and deadlines stay clear in everyone’s mind and the lines of communication remains open. Other types of meeting, such as confidential one-on-ones, focus groups, work-outs, and reporting meetings that are aimed at solving or discussing specific problems should be held as and when required.
Pacing Meetings
When running a meeting, pace yourself with the aid of a pre-prepared agenda, Group similar topics together on the agenda to avoid repetition, allocate a time limit to each point to be discussed, and adhere to it strictly. Ask for ideas to be prepared in advance to save time in the meeting. Start proceedings promptly, and keep them moving – 75 minutes is enough to cover most agendas, and people lose concentration beyond that length of time. Encourage everybody to have their say, subject to relevance and reasonable brevity, as the livelier a meeting, the more creative the ideas generated.
MATCHING PURPOSE TO MEETING TYPE
| MEETING TYPE | CHARACTERISTICS |
| TEAM MEETING
Regular update meeting for whole team |
|
| FOCUS GROUP
Meeting of sub-group with specific knowledge |
|
| PROGRESS MEETING
Regular update meeting for sub-group of team. |
|
| REPORTING MEETING
Meeting to spread specific information to team. |
|
| ONE-ON-ONE
Private meeting held between two people. |
|
| WORK-OUT MEETING
Meeting of whole group to study work methods. |
|
TIPS
- Change the chairperson at each meeting to involve everybody.
- Try to delegate as much as possible to other members of the team.
- Distribute agendas in advance of the meeting to give your team time to prepare.
………………………………………………………………………..
