Have you ever been in a meeting where you didn’t know what they were talking about and each minute seemed like an hour? Many employees feel that meetings are unproductive, that their time is wasted, and that they’ll have to work longer and harder to accomplish the tasks on their desks. Jack Fries offers tips to help you plan meetings that your employees will want to attend.
A recent Harris Poll asked employees, 'What makes you feel unproductive at work?' The overwhelming response was unfocused meetings. But meetings can be both informational and motivating when they’re scheduled and presented properly. Here’s how:
HAVE AN AGENDA
Prepare and circulate a meeting agenda in advance. Give employees an opportunity to include items that they’d like to discuss. The agenda should list the topics to be presented and their time limits. Once the agenda is set, stick to it.
SET A REGULAR SCHEDULE
Schedule meetings for the same time on the same day every week or month. Make attendance and punctuality mandatory. Don’t wait for absentees (this punishes those who are on time). I like Monday mornings. It’s a great time to kick off the new week. And people often show up early to discuss what they did over the weekend. Make sure that the meeting is up beat. This is the kick-off to the new week — make it positive.
RECOGNIZE EMPLOYEES
Incorporate employee recognition into office meetings. If a particular employee has exceeded job expectations, made a great sale, or was recognized by a customer or company person, announce it and present some type of reward. The reward can be a letter, certificate, plaque, or dinner for two at a local restaurant. This improves morale and encourages future excellence from everyone.
TAKE AND CIRCULATE NOTES
Select an individual to take notes of the meeting and to keep the notes in chronological order. E-mail the notes to each employee whether they were in attendance or not.
Implementing these suggestions can enhance the meetings you hold and improve knowledge and morale in your agency.