Increase Engagement And Productivity Through Work Meetings
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Increase Engagement And Productivity Through Work Meetings
Companies have different ways of organizing and running meetings with their employees. Running efficient and effective work meetings can help increase engagement and productivity of your employees.
When we examine how a company conducts meetings, we can gain insights into its culture, leadership style, and work environment.
Can you recall the various types of meetings you have attended or organized? What were the differences between these meetings, and how did these variances contribute to their success or make them more challenging?
Who Can Organize Meetings In A Company
Do you have certain rules or patterns, formal or informal, that establishes what members of the company can initiate a meeting?
Most often, meetings are held when a leader wants to discuss with his or her team members on specific topics. But, meetings can be held also when team members propose them to their leaders and are approved.
What are the advantages of allowing employees to propose meetings?
Enhances communication and transparency. It enables employees to voice their concerns, seek clarification, ask questions, and share important updates or information. Sometimes, an activity can be blocked because an employee needs an answer, more information, needs help, or wants to discuss certain aspects of their activities.
Encourages open communication from top to bottom and vice-versa. When the distance between a leader and team members is reduced, information flows more freely, and decision-making becomes more informed.
Promotes ownership and engagement. Allowing employees to propose meetings empowers them to take ownership of their work and to be responsible for their results. They are encouraged to take the initiative and solve the issues they encounter on the way.
Builds trust between employees and management. Employees know that they can freely express their questions, concerns, ideas, or ask for help.
How To Decide Who Should Participate In A Meeting?
Meeting participants can be chosen based on the meeting agenda, but the reverse can also be applied, meaning setting a meeting agenda based on the participants.
Work meetings can be organized with employees from the same department, employees from different departments, or with top leaders from various teams. Essentially, we can create any possible combination among the company’s members.
Criteria to be considered when the meeting participants are chosen
All the participants should be involved in the activities or projects listed in the meeting’s agenda and discussed during the meeting.
It’s unproductive to talk about topics that not everyone is familiar with or can contribute to, as it wastes the time of those who aren’t involved. They could be using that time for other things.
Additionally, there are instances when these issues may not be clearly and correctly understood by all participants. This could be due to a lack of familiarity with specialized language, unawareness of previous discussions on different aspects of the issue in other contexts, or simply not paying attention to those discussions if they were not relevant to their responsibilities.
Does this resonate with you? Have you ever participated in meetings where issues outside of your responsibilities were discussed? How did you feel and behave in those moments?
Some leaders may justify this by stating that it helps participants to have an understanding of what is happening in other departments or with different activities. I believe that it’s indeed beneficial for employees to have a broader picture of the company’s activities, while also acknowledging that they do not need to know the intricate details of those activities. They can be informed about them through other means. I have personally encountered these types of meetings, as some leaders adopt this approach.
If attendees are not involved in all the issues being discussed, they may become inattentive or bored when subjects unrelated to their concerns are addressed. This can negatively impact the atmosphere of the meeting.
Consider the recommended number of participants for the type of meeting being organized.
It’s important to consider the specific context and objectives when determining the appropriate number of attendees for a meeting.
In general, I recommend to limit the number of attendees to a small number, around six participants, or fewer, in order to facilitate effective communication and active participation. Also the number of participants has an impact on the decision process.
When the number of participants increases, communication becomes more complex, making it harder to involve everyone in discussions and reach a consensus. Larger group sizes tend to lead to decreased participation and increased difficulty in managing the dynamics of the meeting.
Moreover, larger group sizes can lead to difficulties in achieving consensus and making timely decisions. With a larger number of participants, it becomes harder to coordinate differing perspectives, manage conflicts, and reach agreements.
Another aspect to consider is determining which participants, involved in the topics to be discussed, should attend the meeting.
Here can be considered the roles of the employees and their number.
If two or three employees are involved in the topics to be discussed, I recommend including all of them, regardless of their positions.
You can receive and discuss all these employees’ feedback, opinions, ideas, questions and so on.
They receive the same information. When a person transmits to another person the information they receive from a third person, some pieces of information can be lost, can be misinterpreted or communicated in an incorrect way changing the meaning.
If the meeting’s objective is to solve specific problems or involves creative tasks, having more participants can lead to the generation of more ideas.
They will feel involved in the decision process and engage more. When the decisions are taken in a meeting and the members contributed with their ideas, arguments, and thoughts they are more likely to engage in applying those decisions rather than when they are told what to do.
The team spirit is developed by meeting together.
When individuals come together in a shared physical or virtual space, it provides an opportunity for face-to-face interaction, collaboration, and building personal connections. Through active participation and engagement in meetings, team members can learn from each other, exchange ideas, and work towards common goals.
How To Prepare For The Work Meeting
Let’s see some good practices for preparing a meeting:
Clarify the outcomes that you want to obtain through the meeting. What answers, action plans, or information do you want you and the attendees to have at the end of the meeting?
This will help you ask the right questions during the meeting and orient the discussions in a direction that will help you reach the established outcomes.
After you set the meeting agenda, decide the order of the topics that will be discussed. Put the most important topics at the beginning of the meeting.
Inform the participants about the meeting, its goals, and agenda. If it’s a recurring meeting or not an impromptu one, send meeting invites and add them to the calendar. This way, you and the participants won’t forget about it.
Check the participants’ calendars before scheduling the meeting to see their availability. Set the time, duration, and location of the meeting.
If you are meeting with members from the same project or department, ask them if they would like to add something to the agenda or establish this as a rule so they know they have the option.
Communicate your expectations and any necessary information to attendees in advance so they can prepare, including how they are expected to contribute.
For example, if you need specific data from certain members, request it beforehand. If you’re seeking solutions to an issue and want their ideas, let them know so they can prepare suggestions. During the meeting, you can discuss and analyse every member’s ideas or develop new solutions based on the input provided. In this way, you also involved them in the discussions.
Facilitate an engaging environment. Prepare the meeting space or virtual platform to create a conducive environment for discussion. Ensure that necessary equipment, such as projectors or audio/video tools, are set up and functional. If it’s a virtual meeting, ensure that the chosen platform is accessible and that everyone understands how to use it.
Anticipate potential questions or reactions and prepare yourself to address them.
For example, if you have to present a new project to your team, by anticipating potential questions or objections, you can gather the necessary information, data, and supporting materials to address their concerns. This enables you to provide clear explanations and build confidence.
To What Aspects To Pay Attention During The Meeting
Keep the discussions on track. If attendees speak about issues or aspects unrelated to the meeting agenda, redirect the conversation on the right track. If important topics come up in discussion, you can establish another meeting for them.
If only a portion of the attendees participate in the discussion, ask the quiet members questions related to the topics being discussed so they can share their perspectives, thoughts, or ideas.
Knowing the attendees’ perspectives will help you understand if they agree with what is being discussed, or if they have objections or concerns. In order for them to get on board with what is established in a meeting, you need to know where they stand and reach an agreement with them.
Even if this could take longer, it’s worth it because once they agree with what is established, they will be more engaged in the actions they have to take.
If an attendee tries to dominate the meeting, you can explain that there is a limited time for the meeting and that every participant has to give their perspectives.
You can interrupt them in a subtle way and ask for another member’s opinion.
Also, you can announce at the beginning of the meeting some basic rules, including the expectation that members should be respectful and give other participants space to talk.
In case you are dealing with members who always seem to disagree with what is being said in the meeting, ask them to support their oppositions and provide arguments. This will make them more responsible for what they say. If their arguments prove to be unfounded several times, they usually back off.
Ask for the participants’ ideas and solutions before discussing your own. If you express your solutions or opinions first, they may hesitate to express theirs if these are opposite or different than yours. Additionally, better ideas may be developed discussing the attendees’ solutions or ideas.
At the end, summarize what was established during the meeting. If assignments were made, check if the assigned members understand what they have to do and by when.
Actions To Be Taken After The Work Meeting
Review meeting objectives
Reflect on the meeting’s objectives and assess whether they were achieved. Evaluate if the meeting successfully addressed the intended purpose and if the desired outcomes were accomplished.
A meeting minute should be send to all the participants
A good practice that can be done after the meeting is over is to send an email with the key points that were discussed and the actions established, along with the members assigned to do the actions and time limits.
However, if it’s a casual meeting or there is a high level of trust and responsibility among the participants, this may not always be necessary. They can take notes during the meeting – in case it’s not recorded with AI tools and this becomes unnecessary 🙂
Follow-up
Monitor the progress, provide any necessary support, and ensure tasks are being completed within the designated timelines. This demonstrates your commitment to moving things forward.
Determine if any additional communication is necessary after the meeting. This could involve providing updates, sharing relevant resources, or scheduling follow-up discussions. Ensure that any required communication is clear, timely, and aligned with the meeting outcomes.
To Wrap Up, work meetings are essential for promoting collaboration, productivity, and team spirit within an organization. In this blog post, we covered important aspects such as organizing meetings, selecting participants thoughtfully, preparing effectively, conducting fruitful discussions, and following up afterward. By implementing these strategies, we can optimize the outcomes of our meetings, strengthen team dynamics, and drive success in our shared endeavors.
Key Points:
1. Who can organize work meetings in a company
2. How to decide who should participate in a meeting
3. How to prepare for the work meeting
4. To what aspects to pay attention during the meeting
5. Actions to be taken after the work meeting
Let me know what are your thoughts about this blog post. If you have questions I’ll be happy to answer them at: daniela.tancau@improvework.ro
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