Monday, April 18th, 2011
Staff meetings, team meetings, departmental meetings….whatever you call them, how are they working for you? Are they really necessary, or just a big waste of time and money? After all if your practice has email, an Intranet of some sorts, and maybe a monthly newsletter, your bases are covered….right? Not so fast!
Diversity is a wonderful thing in the workplace. A diverse group of employees usually means a broad range of natural talents, and different levels of knowledge and experience. Along with this variety comes a need to cater to a multitude of learning styles. You will find you have team members who need to see things in writing, reading through protocols in order to fully understand the steps that need to be taken in certain tasks. Others will need to experience things “hands-on”, learning on the job. And then there are team members who need the opportunity to have a conversation with you, asking questions and observing your body language in order to fully grasp the intended message….this is where meetings come into play.
Writing a new protocol and expecting everyone to read it, understand it, and follow it just doesn’t work in todays’ busy veterinary practices. You need them in order to function—after all, if it’s not written down, it doesn’t actually exist as a rule or protocol. You can post a new protocol in an Intranet forum for team members to read, view a video, and have the opportunity for questions, but you will probably find that most people interpret things differently if not given the opportunity to ask questions, or even to hear questions from others be asked and answered.
More importantly, meetings are an opportunity to bring your group together as a team on a regular basis. It’s an opportunity for bonding with one another and appreciating the little things that so often get overlooked in the throes of a busy day. Should meetings be mandatory? I think they need to be, in order for everyone to understand the importance of the get together. Should they be paid time? Absolutely! Here are a few tips for successful team meetings:
- Be consistent: Whether meeting once a month or once a week, your meetings need to be consistent and begin “on time”. If you post a meeting date and time, stick to it.
- Have an Agenda: Successful meetings begin with a plan. If you struggle with planning an agenda or creating a dynamic, well-developed meeting, download a copy of my Meeting Planner for Managers.
- Mix it up: Every meeting should be dynamic, offering participants something fun or inspirational, in addition to the “serious stuff”. Use the meeting planner to organize your team meetings into a format that gives your team balance, and optimal focus on the business at hand.
- End on Time: Your team has committed their time and energy to your meeting, and it’s your responsibility to make sure you are wrapping things up in a timely manner. Keep topics on track, facilitating discussions so they don’t ramble on and on. Don’t make decisions at the spur of the moment, in the middle of a meeting—-let everyone know you’ll be following-up with written communication, especially if time is running short.
If you’re a busy manager or practice owner looking for some great resources for planning your meetings, check out these books for team-building and ice-breaker activities; most if not all can be found on Amazon:
- “Quick Meeting Openers for Busy Managers” by Brian Cole Miller
- “Make Their Day” by Cindy Ventrice
- “The Big Book of Team Motivating Games” by Mary Scannell & Edward E. Scannell
- “The Big Book of Conflict Resolution Games” by Mary Scannell
One question that is frequently debated is “should I close the practice for our staff meetings?” My personal belief is that you should. If you don’t, then someone is always left out of the meetings, having to answer the phones and man the front desk. Closing for one hour is not that difficult to do, especially if your clients know it’s going to happen at the same time each week. Our staff meetings?….every Wednesday from 2:00-3:15pm. Clients know about it, the team knows about it, and it happens every week without a hitch. Enhance your communication—commit to quality team meetings!
Tags: agenda, planning a meeting, staff meetings, team meetings, team-building
