By facilitating productive meetings, you can get the most out of everyone on your team. Productive meetings will help move projects forward more quickly.
However, it can be difficult to know how to apply it effectively. These tips will help you organize team meetings that will be both productive and interesting!
1. Learn What the Objective Is
The best way to start a meeting is by making sure everyone knows what the objective actually is. The usual practice of holding weekly meetings is common, out of habit.
However, if you are unable to identify a purpose for the meeting, then it probably isn't necessary to have that meeting in the first place.
2. Include All the Team Members
Teamwork involves having different perspectives and opinions on the same topic/objective. This makes it easier to develop different types of solutions and choose the one that would give you the best outcome.
No matter how many team members you have, it is important to keep them all involved in the meeting. The plan allows your team to prepare in advance.
At the beginning of the meeting, it is a good idea to state the 'no interruption' policy. Often, the more energized group may speak over others, thus shutting them down.
3. Be Able to Tell Fact From Opinion
Everyone has different opinions on the same topic or problem. You should be clear on the data and facts when making decisions that will impact the outcome of a project.
This way, you can factor those facts into the ideas of your team members. Write down the facts on a whiteboard, so they don't get lost in the discussion. This can help keep the meeting on track!
4. Keep the Meeting Engaging
It can be difficult to keep everybody engaged, even if your team is highly interested in the content of the meeting. This especially applies to larger team meetings that last a couple of hours. You need to find a way to keep your meetings engaging for everyone.
For example, you can use various formats in order to keep your team engaged. Include a single presenter, mini rewards for a job well done or a good idea, an activity that will require everyone to participate, or a facilitated group discussion.
By including interactive moments, your team members will make an effort to participate and pay closer attention to the meeting.
5. Make Decisions and Assign Tasks
While not all meetings will require you to make decisions, a lot of them will. In that case, you should make sure to make clear decisions rather than just repeating yourself.
When you are unable to make a clear decision because you need more information, you can assign someone from your team to gather that information and present it at the next meeting.
If you want your project to succeed, you need to assign different tasks to individuals or groups of people. When assigning individuals and groups to a task, be sure to include a deadline. This will make it a lot clearer who is responsible for what.
6. Bring Your Team Together
For a productive and enjoyable meeting, you need to have a good working relationship with your team members. Choosing individuals who react well in a team environment is an important part of making the right choice for your team.
Small groups of your team that disagree with each other can cause numerous problems when those groups are assigned to work together on bigger projects.
Therefore, having fun games during your meetings could help lighten the mood. It can also help your team members get along better.
Get the Most Out of Your Team Meetings
Meetings are the best opportunity where teams can come together, share opinions and ideas, finish projects, and get great results. The tips listed above will help you make sure your meetings go smoothly.
There are several apps and programs that could make your life easier when setting up online meetings, such as Microsoft Teams, Jitsi Meet, Taskade, and others.