Productive Team Meetings

When having a team meeting, there is sometimes reluctance and negative feelings towards having them - they might seem boring, unorganized and unmotivating.

The purpose in having team meetings is to provide information to your staff/coworkers, brainstorm and provide an open forum in which people can relay their opinions.

Here are some tips to run a productive team meeting:

1. Create an agenda beforehand  - by doing this, it keeps the length of the meeting to a minimum and it helps keep the meeting organized. Often in my own company, I will distribute the agenda in advance of the meeting, so staff have time to review and add more items (if necessary)
2. Take meeting minutes - From my own experience working in an office, it is always a good idea to have someone keep minutes - this is helpful for staff to remember the outcome of the meetings and it is also a record of what was discussed
3. Keep the time of the meeting to a minimum - it is important for opinions to be voiced however, one of the reasons people get so bored and frustrated at meetings, is due to the length of time for the meeting. By having a shorter meeting, the intention is to not restrict time for people to voice their opinion but it is to keep the meeting moving in a timely fashion
4. Actively participate and bring a positive attitude - encourage your team members and motivate each other. As I've written previously in another blog, a positive attitude can be contagious!
5. Follow ups - in the meeting minutes after the meeting is done, it is a good idea to have a section stating who is responsible for completion of certain tasks that are discussed in the meeting. This holds individuals accountable