How to get the best out of your staff in team meetings?

Have you ever organised a meeting with your team and felt it wasn’t productive? Here are some approaches to get the best out of your staff during them.

Communication

Communication is key. It not only includes positive speaking but also active listening. When holding a meeting it’s important staff understand why it is valuable for them to attend. If there’s an agenda send this across to the team as soon as you can. This gives staff the opportunity to think about ideas or suggestions and have a more fuller head when it comes to the meeting. Actively encourage the staff to speak and share their thoughts. This will aid the staff to feel they are listened to and their thoughts are valued.

Opportunities to be involved

Providing opportunities to get involved can also improve staff meetings. You may have a member of staff who isn’t a manager, deputy or team leader, though shows great potential in their leadership skills. Invite them to lead a meeting. They may feel empowered to have the chance to lead the meeting. Similarly, we can sometimes not appreciate other people’s struggles and so getting staff who are not within the management team can facilitate better involvement. Facilitate an activity which requires the team to be in groups, this will hopefully get more staff talking and co-operating.

Appreciation

Showing appreciation with big or small gestures can motivate your team. I once bought pizza and dessert for the staff for the end of the shift and they showed their appreciation in mountain folds. They were more responsive, politer and most importantly happier. Did the pizza cost a lot? Yes and no. There was a discount code which took 50% off the order if you spent over £100. The pizza was definitely worth it and it was remembered for many weeks and months. Appreciation does not have to have a cost either. It could be a staff member of the month.

Active participation

Active participation is another way to facilitate better meetings. For example, providing engaging activities are likely to encourage the team to participate compared to a sit down discussion. An activity could be fun to participate in, though have a deeper meaning. For example, you could facilitate the team to experience having a visual impairment through the use of visual impairment simulation glasses. An activity like this enables a group to briefly experience what it may be like to have a visual condition. It is often used as a way to promote better understanding of individuals difficulties.

Celebrate

Celebrating could be linked to showing appreciation, though we think it can be separate. Celebrate the big, small and micro achievements. Celebrate your tastes inspection. Celebrate the birthdays of staff. Staff who feel valued will often put in more effort.

Resources:

Here are some further resources to check out:

• The Balance Careers – How to lead effective team meetings – click here
• The Care Training Company – Our blog – click here

There are many other ways you can help to get the best out of your staff. Comment below your success stories to help others improve their team meetings.