9 Helpful Tips for Better Meetings
Every month, my full team of 40+ gathers for our team meeting. I always look forward to it, as it gives me the energy and momentum to keep going. I get a sense of what’s motivating them, what they need help with, and how they’re working together; in addition to discussing important topics and sharing strategies.
As valuable as these meetings are to me, I want them to be meaningful for my staff as well. I spend time thinking about what I want them to feel when they leave the meeting. It’s the greatest compliment when they say they felt energized and supported, or they learned something.
With intention and preparation, you can transform meetings into opportunities for meaningful connections.
Here are my secrets to better meetings:
1. In advance of sending an invitation to your next meeting (even those that happen consistently), give thought to the purpose and goal of bringing everyone together. Every good meeting has a clear purpose.
2. Once you’ve decided the purpose, decide who needs to be there. Not everyone needs to attend the same meetings.
3. Before the meeting begins, find ways to create a welcoming experience for the rest of the dialogue. One of my favorite tips pre-COVID: Personally greet your team members at the door at the start of the meeting. One of my favorite tips since COVID: Have an icebreaker question in the chat as people get settled. Ask about their walk up song, favorite vacation spot, or highlight of the week.
4. Start every meeting with some moment of connection. Have team members share what they’re proud of, something great that happened to them. Report on team wins and recognize staff members for their outcomes and effort. Announce team birthdays and/or anniversaries.
5. Meetings need structure in order to be productive, even if the goal is to freely share ideas and brainstorm. Consider sending an agenda that gives people an expectation of what will happen in the meeting. Instead of listing out what you’ll discuss, pose questions you want the group to answer about each topic. I’ll admit I don’t always send agendas in advance. I think because I work so hard to develop a clear purpose and goal that I hope others will give me the benefit to create a positive experience for them. That said, I really do wish there were many meetings that had an agenda or clearer purpose.
6. As the leader, thoughtfully guide the flow, though not necessarily the conversation. Try to speak last on a topic to encourage true idea sharing.
7. Encourage others to speak up, and create space where people feel safe to offer constructive feedback and new ideas. You may also find a polling mechanism helps you create a more inclusive meeting.
8. Manage time well. If you say you’re going to end at noon, end then. Steward the meeting attendees by honoring their time. You may also consider whether the meeting needs to be an hour as default. I love 45-minute meetings that allow me a few minutes to do the things we committed to in the meeting.
9. Close your meeting with significance—whether a formal statement of thanks and recap, moment of reflection, or asking others to share how the conversation will inform what they’ll do when they get back to their desks.
If you’re asking people to commit their time to gather, create something that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Every interaction has the power to positively affect others.