Some of us are ready to visualize the plans for a new season, while others on the team might dread those annual meetings and conversations. As the leader, you can make these sessions productive and easy with a few tips.
PRE-MEETING
Know the Audience: Yes, you know your team but invest the time to know any problems you’ll face or any conflicts that might arise, of which you weren’t directly involved. A conversation with each team member before the session is a must.
Agenda: Prepare a game plan and find out if anyone has something they plan to bring to the table. Then, you can decide
in advance if that topic can stay on the agenda or if it needs to be rescheduled.
DURING THE MEETING
Don’t delay: Nothing ticks people off like waiting. My advice: Don’t wait on people to gather or to come back from breaks. If you shared the time in advance, it’s each person’s responsibility to be on time and respectful of others.
Ask for live feedback: Some people think this is dicey, but I want everyone engaged in the meeting, and people need to participate to be engaged. When you ask for feedback live, always give it parameters to help you contain it. Such as: “Give me three words or less to sum up where you are on this issue.” Or “can I get show of hands from everyone that agrees we should move forward?” I often use a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs sideways.
Use tools and rules: If your group has adopted ground rules, reiterate them at the beginning. In certain groups, I ask everyone to state their acceptance of the rules. I have even added buzzers to help a group self-police members veering outside the topic.
POST-MEETING
First self-assess: How did you do? This is where I start most of my post-meeting analysis. Know what went well and areas where “you lost them.” Form your own assumptions as to why. Did you get where the team needed to go?
Clean up conflict: If there was discord in the meeting, as the facilitator, it’s at least partly your job to help solve the conflict. This could be a one-on-one conversation with someone or a meeting with two people to help them work through an issue.
Send the results: When people give their time, they want to see results, so have someone prepare a summary of the meeting including action items and who is responsible. Then, set a time for you or others in charge to act on these actions.
Check out this list of four meetings to add to your team’s calendar.
Sarah Beth Aubrey Barr will be speaking at the 2023 Top Producer Summit, which takes place Jan. 23-25 in Nashville. Register now
