They DO Exist: Tips for Hosting a Great Meeting
Planning a Meeting? Be a Good Host.
We’ve all been there. You’re sitting in a meeting, looking at the clock, wondering when it will end. Your stomach is grumbling, your mind is wandering and you can’t help but wonder if this meeting was even really necessary. It’s not the best case scenario. However, it is possible to host a great meeting!
Here at Banker’s Toolbox, our penguins meet for a monthly “huddle.” Huddles, or staff meetings, are nothing like the meeting mentioned above. In fact, many penguins look forward to them. Hosted by our CEO Wayne Roberts, the meetings are a perfect mix of information, insights, humor, kudos and more. For the company overall, Wayne said, “Meetings should be about alignment, communication and celebration.” We couldn’t agree more!
Fresh off of this month’s huddle, we are offering 10 Tips for Hosting a Great Meeting:
- Have a purpose. The purpose of the meeting should align directly with its attendees, so start by getting the right people in the room. Whether it’s manager meetings, team meetings or staff meetings, consider your objectives upon inviting staff. People will appreciate your respect for their time.
- Build alignment. Meetings are your best chance to communicate what’s going on and how your team can contribute to the big picture. “Emphasize the goals every time. Provide status updates every time,” said Wayne. Doing so helps build alignment and drives your team forward.
- Use humor. Depending on your company’s culture, humor can add color to a meeting. When done tastefully, humor can be an important part of connecting with staff. It also helps to keep the meeting light and engaging.
- Craft an agenda. And stick to it. If you clearly communicate a crisp agenda, staff will feel more comfortable and know what to expect. Sticking to the program will help keep everyone on track.
- Name the meeting. Especially for recurring meetings, consider choosing a fun and creative name. The monthly “huddle” is consistent with our penguin persona. Penguins don’t meet, they huddle! What does your team personify?
- Give kudos. Where appropriate, call out exceptional accomplishments. Use the meeting as a chance to exemplify behaviors that you want the whole team to emulate.
- Be transparent. Your staff cultivates your company, so give them the information they need to do their jobs. Leave time for questions and the end and answer them honestly. Your staff will recognize the transparency.
- Time it strategically. Let’s be honest. Meeting right before lunch, on a Monday morning, or right before a long weekend may not be the best strategy. At Banker’s Toolbox, we are lucky enough to have monthly happy hours right after most staff meetings. Now that’s good timing.
- Keep it consistent. Recurring meetings work well when the time, frequency and format remain consistent. Are you hosting a monthly meeting? Choose the third Thursday of each month, for example, and keep the format similar to last month’s.
- Have fun. Celebrate accomplishments, birthdays, anniversaries, new employees and so on as these relate to your goals and talent strategy. Yes, meetings can be fun!
At Banker’s Toolbox, culture is important to us. Our meetings reflect that. We strive to make each meeting meaningful and productive, but we also aren’t afraid to have fun!
What are some of your favorite ways to have a great meeting? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter!
