| > | | | | minute presentation on some skill or technology that |
| Bad staff meetings keep people from making money | | | | benefits your group. Tell the expert that you want a |
| for your company. Here how to hold an effective staff | | | | logical explanation of practical ideas. You can also ask |
| meeting. | | | | members of your group to take turns delivering brief |
| Many people believe that they conduct effective | | | | tutorials on topics that benefit the others. Plan a time |
| meetings, when all they really do is host a party. Or | | | | budget: 10 to 15 minutes. |
| worse, they deliver a monologue. In either case, their | | | | 4) Practice skills. Create team learning activities that |
| meetings produce little.Here’s how to hold an | | | | sharpen or teach skills needed in your business. For |
| effective staff meeting. | | | | example, you could role play job skills (especially useful |
| 1) In general. Keep them short. Most staff meetings | | | | for sales teams), solve puzzles (useful for high tech |
| should last less than an hour. You want your staff to | | | | groups), or take quizzes (useful for everyone). Ask |
| spend their time working on things that earn money for | | | | group members to take turns bringing an activity that |
| your business, not sitting in meetings. Keep them | | | | reviews or teaches a valuable skill. Follow this activity |
| positive. Negative meetings contain insults, ridicule, and | | | | with a brief recap of key ideas. Then ask the group |
| attacks. These activities create caution and | | | | members to give a fifteen second report on how |
| resentment, which always costs your company | | | | these ideas can be applied to improve their work. Plan |
| money. Keep them interactive. Your staff consists of | | | | a time budget: 10 to 20 minutes. |
| intelligent people. Put them to work in your meetings to | | | | 5) Solve problems. Give each group member a minute |
| advance the effectiveness of your organization. | | | | to describe a challenge that hinders work on a current |
| 2) Share news. Give the members of your group one | | | | project and then let everyone propose solutions. |
| minute to report on progress made in their area of | | | | Suggestions should be brief and free of self |
| responsibility. You’ll find that this results in bullet | | | | aggrandizing explanations or motivational sermons. This |
| point reports of essential information. It also prevents | | | | process also requires a positive, supportive |
| people from philosophizing, explaining, justifying, | | | | environment to succeed. If this is used to ridicule, insult, |
| criticizing, and engaging in other unproductive activities. | | | | or criticize the individual, then people will be reluctant to |
| Plan a time budget: 8 to 10 minutes. | | | | reveal issues that need attention. Plan a time budget: 3 |
| 3) Teach something. Invite a guest expert to give a 10 | | | | to 6 minutes per person. |