10 tips to make weekly meetings useful for your whole team

Weekly standups and regular reports are great ways for leaders to check in with their teams. These are times to briefly share updates and ask about any concerns or questions the team may have before the day or week begins.

But while many companies know that checking in with their teams on a regular basis is a positive thing, some may just be hosting these meetings as a way of going through the motions. In order to get the most out of these meetings, you have to be intentional, which is why 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council each shared one thing leaders can do to make weekly standups more useful and meaningful for them and their team members.

1. Share The ‘Top Three’ Action Items for Each Week

Communication is key in any work environment. We hold weekly meetings where each team member lists their “top three” action items they’ll be focusing on for the week. It’s much more efficient to share those distilled points as opposed to talking through the entire to-do list. It helps each individual be in the loop with their peers’ priorities, creating a transparent environment. – Kelley Weaver, Melrose PR

2. Celebrate Successes

Our team has always been fully remote, so our weekly standups are critical for people to get to know each other. We start by asking each member what went well in the last week personally and professionally, then end with a shout-out to someone on the team. This allows everyone to celebrate each other’s wins, giving people the space to feel seen and heard despite the distance. – Shane Zilinskas, ClearSummit

3. Keep The Meetings Short

I love a check-in meeting, but please don’t drag them out and make them longer than needed. And don’t have a meeting after the meeting to discuss the meeting. Your team is busy. We are all handling greater workloads with fewer resources and disappearing boundaries on work time and free time. Respect the boundaries of the meeting, and everyone will be happier. – Ashley Sharp, Dwell with Dignity

4. Recognize and Motivate Employees

Make it motivational and engaging. A lot of people are going through a lot of stuff every day, be it work or personal. We need not just a reminder of our tasks, but also the feeling of being needed and recognized in order for us to be motivated again. Nothing a round of applause or a bit of attention can’t fix! Employees aren’t robots; they are humans who need affirmation, attention and recognition. – Daisy Jing, Banish

5. Make Sure The Meetings Are Goal-Oriented

Don’t just state the progress made over the past week or month. Put those achievements in context by framing them within your broader objectives. Saying you’ve hit 100 conversions doesn’t mean anything unless you clarify that you’ve reached 50% of your monthly goal. Now, moving forward, we know that you’re on pace to hit your monthly goal by next week. – Amine Rahal, IronMonk Solutions

Keep the set goal always in the “sight”!

6. Ask Three Standard Questions

• Stick to the standard three questions: What did you do yesterday?
• What will you do today?
• What obstacles are still in your way?

Focusing the meeting this way does a couple things. First, it helps keep the meeting brief. Second, it will keep everyone focused on a common goal (e.g. sharing updates, prioritizing resources, coming to a consensus for the future) and, thirdly, it provides consistency. – Shu Saito, All Filters

7. Have Your Team Run The Meetings

Turn the tables and empower your team to run these meetings. Instead of you taking the wheel and running check-ins—like interrogations where people receive feedback—try handing the reins over to the team leaders and team members who are really the ones who should be benefiting the most from these meetings. Give teams leeway to change reporting and metrics to what make sense for their process. – Matthew Capala, Alphametic

8. Figure Out Who Actually Needs To Be Involved

Although it’s important to have weekly standups, I actually encourage team members to opt out if they have nothing to contribute. This ensures everyone involved in the meeting actually has something to say and prevents wasted time or the need to create busy work. Communication hasn’t been an issue since I’ve applied this rule, and no one has missed more than a few standups at a time. – Bryce Welker, CPA Exam Guy

9. Cut Out Unnecessary Information

The best way to maximize the value of your weekly meetings is to trim the unnecessary information. When you’re working on the plan for the event, ask what can be communicated through channels like Slack and what needs to be addressed on the video call. Keeping your meetings lean and packed with value will ensure that no one suffers meeting burnout and everyone walks away on the same page. – John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC

10. Identify Specific Points Employees Should Report On

To make weekly meetings more successful, it helps to follow a document or spreadsheet with specific things each employee needs to report on. That way, you can keep up with their KPIs and ensure they’re being met. If they aren’t, you’re aware of the issue and can work to overcome it. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms

Nguồn bài viết: Forbes