Four ways to revamp your team meeting
Dear Tanja,
My team meetings are lacking a spark. I’m starting to dread leading them. No one engages, I get stared at by my team, and I feel off the rest of the day. Send Help!
Nothing dulls the office vibes like a stagnant team meeting. While there is value in getting together as a team, meetings can become repetitive, redundant, and inefficient over time.
Here are 4 ideas to keep the energy and engagement up during your team meetings:
1- Create an agenda in advance and ask for collaboration from your team.
You can’t expect people to show up for a meeting, with no idea what it will be about, and be ready to participate. Some of us need more time to wrap our heads around an idea or come up with a question. Getting in the habit of sharing the agenda in advance will help your team come prepared.
2- Include time for co-working.
Instead of spending time during the meeting recapping things that can be updated in an email, use the time together to troubleshoot or brainstorm new ideas. Is there a need for a new policy? Break it down as a team and come up with ideas together. Is program engagement lacking? Bounce around ideas to revamp the program. This invites cross-functional collaboration, boosts team engagement, and positively impacts the culture.
3- Start with a team builder.
You are allowed to have fun during the team meetings, and yes- team builders can be fun! Meetings are an opportunity for colleagues to get to know each other better, and get to know you. Start with a silly question, ask for a book recommendation, share a favorite memory, or get personal life updates. Are you overwhelmed by the idea of thinking up a team builder? Ask AI for ideas.
4- Move away from a Monday morning meeting.
I can’t be the only person who thinks Monday morning meetings are a factor contributing to the Sunday Scaries. If team meetings are meant to get ahead of the week, meet on Thursdays. This can give your team a heads-up on what they can expect next week and provides a few days to make adjustments or preparations. It also leaves Monday morning open to set intentions and a plan for the week. Imagine starting the week feeling caught up instead of being blindsided by some shocking announcement and having to rearrange your whole week!
What would you add? What will you try? Share in the comments below!
Let's keep working together to keep the vibes at the office up!
