Eric Hulsman, President, Jay Holdings Inc., on Team Meetings

Meetings are often important events in a professional setting. During these gatherings, employers and employees can set goals, share ideas, voice concerns and assign specific tasks. That said, there are many managers and staff members who wish the meetings they attend could prove more fruitful in nature. Fortunately, adhering to the following tips might make such an endeavor a reality:

Offer Positive Feelings Regarding Meetings

Employers are encouraged to view meetings as positive events where beneficial events will occur. If managers emit negative vibes about such gatherings, employees might harbor similar feelings.

Create an Agenda

Meetings should not be conducted “by the seat of one’s pants.” Managers or meeting organizers are strongly encouraged to author an agenda. Agenda provide an organizational foundation regarding how the meeting will take place. Failing to create such organization could foster unstructured and unproductive gatherings.

Minimize the Formality

Employees might demonstrate greater enthusiasm and attentiveness if meeting organizer’s lessened meeting’s formality. Granted, these gatherings should be a time to discuss and resolve important issues. That said, the environment does not always need to have such a strict and formal backdrop. The mood can be lightened by executing actions including but not necessarily limited to bringing in food and holding the gathering in more relaxed settings than conference rooms.

Make the Gathering More Than a Meeting

Meetings that follow the basic structure of one or two people dictating and everyone else listening, taking notes and perhaps asking questions can be mundane and precipitate boredom and disinterest. Ergo, employers might consider livening the atmosphere. Accomplishing this task may be met by inviting guest speakers, using visual aids, initiating brainstorming sessions or organizing different activities.

Celebrate Team or Individual Accomplishments

Meetings can provide the perfect opportunity to recognize joint or individual accomplishments. Using meeting time for such purposes could demonstrate to the entity’s staff that their work is appreciated and might inspire greater future efforts and productivity levels.

Engage the Audience

Employment and human resources professionals suggest that managers should always attempt to engage the audience. Keeping the crowd could stimulate greater interest levels and inspire further inspiration. Companies that value an employee’s input is more likely to enjoy greater productivity and loyalty.