- Determine your purpose and focus. …
- Gather input before the meeting. …
- Plan your agenda and create a presentation. …
- Make the meeting purpose clear to attendees. …
- Share praise. …
- Manage your time. …
- Add value with your information. …
- Incorporate different techniques.
5 Things to Cover in Weekly Team Meetings | How to Run a Staff Meeting Effectively
Who can lead team meetings?
It’s simple to picture meetings as a session led by a department manager, supervisor, or even the CEO giving a state of the company address. However, any number of people within a company can take the lead during team meetings. Some leaders pick employees with in-depth knowledge of a particular subject to share with the team because staff members come from a variety of backgrounds and have varying levels of expertise.
Any of the following experts can preside over team meetings:
Why is leading a team meeting important?
For professionals in almost any field, it’s critical to know how to run a team meeting. Knowing how to lead team meetings well as you advance in your career is a crucial leadership trait.
A manager might also ask you to preside over a team meeting in your area of expertise. You can demonstrate to management your knowledge and potential for growth by successfully leading a team meeting.
Knowing how to run and present a meeting with coworkers can help you make the most of your time and resources, whether you are the manager of a small team or a large department.
How to lead a team meeting effectively
For guidance on how to run a productive team meeting, consider the following:
1. Determine your purpose and focus
Determine why you must meet with your team before you even start to outline and plan your meeting agenda. Consider by considering why you feel the need to gather everyone in one place. There is no need to meet if you can quickly resolve the issue via email. Look for topics that demand discussion, a thorough justification, or group input.
2. Gather input before the meeting
After deciding why you need to meet, ask your team for suggestions. Find out what they must learn about the subject you have chosen. Request their questions in advance so you can prepare a thorough response and address them during the meeting.
3. Plan your agenda and create a presentation
Make an outline that will serve as your agenda as you start to plan your meeting. Think about printing or sending your teammates a digital copy of your final draft. Determine whether you need to create your content’s digital slides using presentation software.
4. Make the meeting purpose clear to attendees
Giving team members a clear understanding of the meeting’s objectives can increase their motivation to pay attention to and internalize your presentation. Consider setting up two or three learning objectives that you can post and review during the meeting.
5. Share praise
Praise team members for their achievements since the last meeting as you begin the meeting. Gratifying coworkers makes the meeting more positive and demonstrates your appreciation for their contributions. You could even set up a system where coworkers can recognize each other throughout the workweek, and then share the compliments during meetings.
6. Manage your time
By starting the meeting on time and wrapping it up when you say you will, you should respect your colleagues’ time. Keep to your agenda and postpone additional inquiries or discussions until after the meeting.
Consider the length of your meeting. In most cases, shorter is preferable unless you have an extended seminar scheduled. You can also maximize time with a learning lunch. While your team members eat, you could bring in catered food and hold your meeting there.
7. Add value with your information
To make the information from your meeting relevant to team members, include action items or outcome goals. Provide your teammates with information that they can use to improve their performance, develop their skills, or accomplish their objectives. Aim for each team member to leave the meeting with a fresh tool to aid them in performing their duties.
8. Incorporate different techniques
Routine meetings can make it difficult for your team members to interact with your content. Change the way you share information for some meetings to prevent this.
Following are some suggestions for altering your meeting style:
9. Allow time for discussion
When organizing a team meeting, allot time for discussion. It’s crucial to establish precise guidelines for how team members should share information and how much time you have for this section of the meeting. Some questions can be redirected for a follow-up discussion after the meeting if you begin to run late. To let your team members know that you value and pay attention to their feedback, be sure to answer any questions that remain.
10. Share important information digitally
Share crucial files via a business network whether you are holding a meeting in person or via video conference. For agendas, presentations, and meeting notes, you might want to create a cloud sharing platform. Some companies have internal messaging platforms that allow you to tag content with channels so that colleagues can access the documents even if they can’t make it to the meeting.
11. Ask for follow-up feedback
After your meeting, send your team members a digital survey or email asking for specific feedback. This can also be a good way to continue a discussion that had to be stopped due to time constraints: it’s preferable to ask a question about a specific aspect of the presentation rather than a general idea like “how did you feel about the meeting.”
12. Make time to reflect
After you’ve led a team meeting, reflect on how you believe the meeting went. Read feedback and plan ways to improve your next session. Think about using a networking group to find a mentor from outside your company who can help you review your plan and share suggestions for improving the effectiveness and engagement of upcoming meetings.
Tips for leading team meetings in-person vs. virtually
Different leadership strategies are needed for virtual meetings than for in-person ones. Here are some things to think about when you are in charge of your team in either situation:
Virtual meeting tips
You can facilitate productive video conference meetings by using the following tips:
In-person meeting tips
These ideas can help you lead effective in-person meetings:
FAQ
What should I say in my first team meeting?
Display to them the type of team culture you want to develop. Bring a positive outlook and enthusiasm for the upcoming work. If you can, increase your energy before the meeting by performing a brief set of exercises or deep breathing.
How does a team leader start a meeting?
Before the meeting begins, let your team know that it will be a brief introduction meeting and that there won’t be an agenda. Once in the room, explain a little about yourself. Think about utilizing business storytelling to convey your values and your goals.
What to say to lead a meeting?
- “Good morning / afternoon”
- “Let’s begin”
- “I’d like to welcome everyone”
- “Since everyone is here, let’s get started”
- “I’d like to thank everyone for coming today”
