New Managers

Team meetings

The main idea. Effective team meetings can be a real asset

to a manager and the team. Think and plan, so that your meetings useful and enjoyable. Learn to run them well.

Activity.

1. For your next team meeting, check that you have:

* Explained what the meeting is meant to achieve (for example sharing key information, motivation, discussing and sharing ideas, decisions ...)

Write down the five key things that you'd like the meeting to achieve and what benefits your team will get from the meeting.

* Included only the things that can only be done at a face to face meeting. If it can be done another way, do it that way.

* Clarified what is open for deliberation and what is already decided

* Set a clear timetable

* Allowed appropriate time on the agenda for items that need serious discussion. (Ask for agenda items beforehand.)

During the meeting

*Don't be the only one to speak - ask for opinions and experience from others in the group, and listen to what they say.

* Build on ideas brought forward by others.

* Bring in quieter people in a non-aggressive way.

* Summarise what has been discussed and decided and write it down

2. Plan your own development

1. Learn from your own experience. Think of a recent meeting that you've been in, called by someone else. What made it successful? what made it irritating? How can you apply this experience to the meetings that you call and run?

2. Plan for your next meeting as above, and then debrief after the meeting with a colleague or your mentor. Make each team meeting more effective than the one before.

3. Get feedback from members of meetings that you've chaired about how you could improve and develop your skills in this.

Why this matters Poor team meetings are very demotivating, and reduce the team's respect for their manager. Effective meetings mean that information is shared, the work flow is understood, and problems are prevented or dealt with quickly.

(More ideas about teams on the members' pages)