Eye Focus August 2016 | Page 21

2. Prepare an agenda. Agendas will ensure you keep on track and on time. It is also a checklist to handout to staff to take notes and review after so they know their part in some of the assigned tasks or responsibilities. A planned agenda will also allow you to cover all the important points first leaving time for discussion and feedback from the team at the end. Don’t forget to add something motivating to the agenda at the end. 1. Be consistent. Schedule consistent staff meetings whether it’s daily five-minute huddles, or weekly/monthly meetings. Staff can tell when a meeting isplanned “because there are things to talk about” versus a regular office meeting. When meetings become consistent, staff will also start bringing discussion items to management to ensure they are added to the agenda. 3. Post for reminder. HERE ARE FIVE WAYS TO RUN AN EFFECTIVE Have one of your team take detailed notes during the meeting and then post the agenda and notes in a staff room or somewhere everyone will see. Not only is this a great reminder that week or month of what was discussed but it serves as written documentation of what you have asked to be done. It is also great for any staff members who were unable to attend or away on holidays. Put a copy in a binder so you can go back and review when needed. STAFF MEETING: 4. Get the team involved. You don’t always have to be the one planning the staff meeting. You can delegate to different team members to put together agendas or topics and even have them facilitate the meeting. Not all staff will be comfortable with this so talk to each one to see who would be interested. They can even schedule a visit from one of your reps to do a 15-minute presentation on a new product or service so the entire team gets to hear it at once. Check out our new website at www.opticalprism.ca Bring food and enjoy! Last words…communication is one of the biggest challenges in any business. Effective team meetings 5. can benefit everyone in your office Feed them. from keeping people in the loop to If you feed them they will come. building morale and a greater Think of your office team like your sense of teamwork. family. What’s the easiest way to get the family all together in one room? Feed them. Make staff meetings fun and more like a celebration and you will find that you will see much more benefit of having them. People enjoy get togethers much more than they prefer a staff meeting. Optical Prism | July 2016 21